Overseas

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˌəʊvəˈsiːz/

Definitions

1. Located in, traveling to, or coming from a country across the ocean from one's own
2. Situated across the ocean, this term describes anything originating from or going to another country separated by water
3. Referring to a place or direction across the ocean ; relating to a nation or territory separated by seawater from one's own

Etymology: "Overseas" is built from two plain English parts: "over" and "sea," with the adverbial "-s" ending added to the older form "oversea." The original adjective-style sense was simply "beyond the sea," and the word has been formed the same way in neighboring Germanic languages, which is why Dutch "overzees," German "Übersee," and West Frisian "oerseesk" look so alike. Its meaning has stayed remarkably stable: a sea voyage is what puts a place "over" the water. The adverb form with "-s" follows a common English pattern, the same ending found in words like "afterwards" and "towards," where an earlier adjective or preposition was given an adverbial shape. In "overseas," the -s is the sole marker that the word is being used to describe movement or location rather than naming a quality.

Synonyms: abroad, foreign, international, offshore, over the sea

Antonyms: domestic, local, home, native, internal