Caught up with and passed someone or something that was ahead; or was suddenly caught or affected by something unexpected.
From Old English 'overtacan' combining 'over' (above, beyond) and 'take' (to grasp). Originally it meant to catch up with someone by traveling faster, but by the 1300s it also meant to seize or be caught by something, like being overtaken by sleep or emotion.
You can be overtaken by a car, by sleep, or by emotion—the word works for anything that catches you by surprise. It's interesting that the same word describes a physical passing and an emotional or mental capture, showing how our language connects different experiences.
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