Overtake
/ˌoʊvərˈteɪk/noun
To catch up with and pass someone or something, or to happen to and overwhelm.
Did you know?In Old English, the ancestor of **overtake** could mean not just “catch up with,” but also “seize” or “capture,” so the word has long carried a sense of force, not just speed.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
ofer-tacan
“to overtake, seize, catch up with”
Middle English
ME
overtaken
“to catch up with; to seize or overcome”
16th Century
English
overtake
“to catch up with and pass; to overcome or come upon unexpectedly”
Modern English
English
overtake
“to catch up with and pass, or to overwhelm or happen unexpectedly”