Meanings
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁ed-“to eat”
- Proto-Germanic*etaną“to eat”
- Proto-Germanic*at-
- Proto-Indo-European*obʰi-
- Proto-West Germanic*obaet“fruit, produce, increase”
- Old Englishofett“fruit, legume”
- Middle Englishovet
- Englishovest
From Middle English ovet (likely from metathesis of the plural *ovetes, ofvetes, ofetes (“fruits”, pl)), from Old English ofett (“fruit, legume”), from Proto-West Germanic *obaet (“fruit, produce, increase”), from a compound whose first element represents Proto-Indo-European *obʰi-, *ebʰi-, *bʰi- (“on, toward, from, by”), and whose second element is Proto-Germanic *at-, *ēta- (“edibles, food”), from Proto-Germanic *etaną (“to eat”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”). Cognate with West Frisian oefte (“something tasty to eat, goodies”), Dutch ooft (“fruit”), German Low German Ooft, Aaft (“fruit”), German Obst (“fruit”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
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Cite this entry
ovest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ovest
“ovest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ovest. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ovest,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ovest.
Source: ovest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.