Overtook
/ˌoʊvərˈtʊk/noun
Simple past tense of overtake; to catch up with and pass someone or something.
Did you know?Overtake comes from Old English *ofer-tacan*, where *tacan* meant “to seize” or “take,” so the word originally had the force of physically grabbing something as you passed it.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
ofer-tacan
“to overtake; to seize, capture, or get the better of”
Middle English
ME
overtaken
“to catch up with; to pass; to come upon unexpectedly”
14th Century
English
overtake
“to come up to and pass; to catch and seize”
Modern English
English
overtook
“past tense of overtake: caught up with and passed”