Etymology

oversimple

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Today it means: Excessively simple; lacking the necessary complexity. Full definition →

English simple ← Middle English symple ← Old French simple
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Germanic*uber
  4. Old Englishofer-
  5. Middle Englishover-
  6. Englishover-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*sm̥-
  9. Latinsem-
  10. Latinsimplu
  11. Old Frenchsimple
  12. Middle Englishsymple
  13. Englishsimple
  14. English todayoversimple

From over- + simple.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.