From Middle High German überwinden, from Old High German ubarwintan, an originally Upper German form besides Central German überwinnen, ubarwinnan. This latter is from Proto-West Germanic *ubarwinnan. Cognate with Dutch overwinnen, English overwin. Equivalent to über- + winnen (“to win”, simplex of gewinnen). The form with -nd- is analysable as über- + winden (“to wind, twist”). It is uncertain whether this is a mere phonetic alteration of the nn-form or an actual derivation from the verb. For the latter possibility compare isolated Middle High German uses like anewinden (“to attack”), widerwinden (“to repulse”).