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overview

Etymology and origin of the English word overview

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1588

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈəʊ.vəˌvjuː/ (UK); /ˈoʊ.vɚˌvjuː/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from over- and view.[2][3] Etymonline treats the modern word as a new formation.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Survey, inspection, supervision: 1588, now obsolete.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

The earlier sense of inspection or supervision became obsolete by the late 19th century.[2] A verb, to look a thing over, is from 1549 (the 1540s), and to view from above from 1564;[4][2] both are now rare or obsolete.[2] The modern sense, a survey or summary, is first known in 1916 in MWU and is American English from 1934 in the OED and Etymonline;[3][4][2] in that year American Speech said it was being worked as hard by educationalists as purposeful, challenge, objective and motivation.[2]

Timeline

  • 1549 – to look over (verb).[4]
  • 1588 – supervision (obsolete).[4]
  • 1916 – first known use of the modern sense.[3]
  • 1934 – a summary.[4][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A general survey; a broad, comprehensive view.
  2. A summary or review.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Overview.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/overview. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·