sleepover
UK[ˈsliːpˌəʊvə]US[ˈsliːpˌoʊvər]
n
An occasion when a child or young person spends the night at a friend's house.
n
An event where a group of people spend the night in a particular place, often for a special purpose.
Morpheme Breakdown
sleep
over
sleep
verb
over
adverb/particle
Etymology
The compound "sleepover" is a modern English formation, originating in the mid-20th century. It is constructed from two native English elements: "sleep," tracing back to the Proto-Germanic slēpaną, and "over," from Proto-Germanic uber. The logic is transparently descriptive, combining the action ("sleep") with the adverbial sense of "over" denoting the passage or span of time (as in "stay over"). This literal combination evolved from simply describing the act of sleeping at another's place for a night into the specific social event, especially for children, that the term denotes today.
Analysis
Structure: sleep (verb) + over (adverb/particle)
- sleep: From Old English 'slæpan', meaning to be or fall asleep. Its functional role is the core verb indicating the action of sleeping.
- over: From Old English 'ofer', functioning as an adverbial particle indicating duration or completion of an action through a period (e.g., overnight).
Examples
My daughter is excited about her first sleepover at a friend's house this weekend.
The museum is hosting a dinosaur-themed sleepover for families.
We had a great sleepover, watching movies and talking until dawn.