Etymology

overspecialize

o·ver·spe·cial·ize
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Today it means: To specialize to an excessive degree. Full definition →

English specialize ← Middle English especial ← Old English ofer-
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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. Middle Englishespecial
  8. Englishspecial
  9. Englishspecialize
  10. English todayoverspecialize

From over- + specialize.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.