over-
is used with adverbial, prepositional, and adjectival force, in combination with ns.; with adverbial and prepositional force in comb. with verbs; with adverbial force in combination with adjs., advbs., and prepositions. Its combinations are therefore exceedingly numerous, and, from the wide range of its meaning, very diverse in character. The following are the chief classes; but many words have senses falling under two, three, or more of these, and there are individual words in which the original sense of the prefix is so modified that it is difficult to assign them to any class. In some of its uses, moreover, over is a movable element, which can be prefixed at will to almost any verb or adjective of suitable sense, as freely as an adjective can be placed before a substantive or an adverb before an adjective. Although usually hyphened or even written as one word, such combinations are hardly dictionary facts; they are really syntactic combinations which make the use and construction of over in the particular position more clear and obvious. In some of these combinations, however, there is a closer unification of sense, and others have a long history which it is desirable to show. All important combinations of over-, therefore, including such as occur in more than one sense, and all such as seem to require explanation, are treated as Main words in their alphabetical places; of the unimportant or obvious ones, examples are here given under the classes to which they belong, with a few illustrations; but no attempt is made to enumerate all that have been used, much less all that are possible.
Ofer- (like ufar- in Gothic, ubar- and ober- in OHG., oƀar in OS., über in Ger., over in Du., yfer-, ofr-, of- in ON.) was already in OE. used in comb. with vbs., as oferclimban, ofercuman, oferdón, oferdrincan, oferlibban; with ns., as oferealdorman, oferbr{uacu}, oferseᵹl, oferslop, oferwrit, oferlufu, oferbiternes; with adjs., as ofergylden, ofermǽte, ofermódiᵹ, oferbl{iacu}ðe, oferfull, ofermicel; also in advbs. formed from adjs., and in derivatives of phrases, as ofersǽl{iacu}c, ofersǽwisc from ofer sǽ. Many of the OE. compounds are still in use, but the more part failed to live into ME., and the great majority of existing over- combinations are of later formation, chiefly since c 1550.
For the original stress of verbal and nominal compounds respectively, and later modifications, see out-. As over is of two syllables, there is necessarily a subordinate stress on o, even in verbal compounds, where the main stress is on the root syllable. This rises in sense 27 to a distinct secondary stress, distinguishing e.g. ˌover-ˈbend ‘bend too much’ from overˈbend ‘bend over’. In verse, the unstressed over- is often reduced to o'er-, a single stressless syllable, as o'er-ˈbend, o'erˈshadow; but over- with main or secondary stress is not properly reduced to o'er- unless the position allows the stress to be retained, as in ˌo'er-eˈnamoured, ˌo'er-inˈcurious, ˌo'er-aˈssumption, ˌo'er-reˈpletion. See senses 27–30.
I. over- in spatial and temporal senses, and in uses directly related to these.
1. a. With verbs, or with ns. forming vbs., in the sense ‘over in space, on high, above the top or surface of’, as overbrood, -canopy, -drop, -hang, -soar, etc. Also (b) in sense of ‘rising above, overtopping’, as over-rise, -top, -tower; and (c) with the sense of position implying other notions of which it is a condition or element, as overeye, overlook, overjoy, overweep, which see.
The compound verb is equivalent sometimes to the simple vb. with over adv., as in overlay, to lay (something) over; or, more frequently, to the simple vb. (usually intr.) with over prep., as in overhang, to hang over (something), overlie, to lie over or above (something); but in many cases, as overarch, it is difficult or impossible to distinguish these.
Examples: overˈbillow, over-ˈbranch, over-cap, over-cluster, over-crown, over-dangle, over-dome, over-droop, over-frown, over-glint, over-helm, over-hover, over-leer, over-pentise, over-plumb, over-spire, over-stoop, over-surge, over-tip, over-turret, over-vista, over-wave, etc.
| 1814 Coleridge Lett., to J. Murray (1895) 626 Any more peccant thing of Froth, Noise, and Impermanence, that may have *overbillowed it on the restless sea of curiosity. |
| 1850 Mrs. Browning An Island xv, With trees that *overbranch The sea. |
| 1839 Fraser's Mag. XX. 44 The moon, rising with unclouded refulgence, *overcapped the crest of eternal forests. |
| 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. iii. 60 Lo! in a shower Grapes that *o'ercluster Gush into must. |
| 18.. G. Meredith Poems, Lark Ascending, Like water-dimples down a tide Where ripple ripple *overcurls. |
| 1869 Browning Ring & Bk. xi. 1814 Like bubble that *o'erdomes a fly. |
| 1881 H. James Portr. Lady xxiii, High-walled lanes, into which..blossoming orchards *overdrooped and flung a perfume. |
| 1861 M. Arnold Southern Night, There, where Gibraltar's cannon'd steep *O'erfrowns the wave. |
| 1805 W. Taylor in Ann. Rev. III. 544 Like the star which *over-hovered the manger at Bethlehem. |
| 1850 Mrs. Browning Wine of Cyprus ii, Cyclops' mouth might plunge aright in, While his one eye *over-leered. |
| 1631 R. Brathwait Whimzies, Gamester 42 A broad-brim'd hat *o'erpentising his discontented looke. |
| 1888 Stevenson Black Arrow 189 A piece of ruinous cliff..almost *overplumbed the deck. |
| 1844 Mrs. Browning Crowned & Buried iii, Altars *overstooped By meek-eyed Christs. |
| 1610 Willet Hexapla Daniel 94 Set in a plaine, where no hils were, that it might not be *ouertipped by them. |
| 1810 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. XXIX. 418 Shall..No golden cloud of praise *O'erwave his way? |
b. Some verbal compounds occur chiefly or only in the
pples. or gerund:
cf. c. Such are
over-banded,
over-being,
over-placed,
over-shrined, etc.
| a 1653 G. Daniel Idyll iii. 89 The Lust of Tyrants (*over⁓banded still By hooded Law) carnalls the world at Will. |
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Kings vi. 18 And with cedre al the hows with ynforth was clothid, hauynge..grauyngis *ouerbeynge [1388 apperynge aboue, L. eminentes]. |
| a 1618 Sylvester Mysterie of Myst., Father 8 Over All things, not *over-plac't. 1895 J. W. Powell Physiogr. Processes in Nat. Geog. Monogr. I. i. 14 The overplaced materials brought down by the floods. |
| 1559 Mirr. Mag. (1563) Aa viij, Standynge on a ladder, *ouershryned wyth the Tyborne, a meete trone for all suche..Trayters. |
c. So in
ppl. adjs. and
vbl. ns., as overhanging, -shaded,
over-awning,
over-beetling,
over-bellying,
over-boding,
over-curling,
over-greeting,
over-jutting,
over-pending,
over-shelving,
over-swinging, etc. (These may be formed to any extent.)
| 1801 Southey Thalaba xii. xiii, Above the depth four *over-awning wings..Bore up a little car. |
| 1854 H. Miller Sch. & Schm. iv. (1857) 78 A small stream came pattering..from the *over-beetling precipice above. |
| 1895 Reynolds in Expositor Nov. 336 The strange and *overboding sense of man's life after death. |
| 1895 J. Muir in Century Mag. June 238/2 [Snow] in massive *overcurling cornices. |
| 1799 H. Gurney Cupid & Psyche xiv. 31 From that *o'erjutting crag. |
| 1812 Anne Plumptre tr. Lichtenstein's Trav. I. 132 It presents the appearance of a high sunken *overshelving wall. |
| 1859 Dickens T. Two Cities vi, Under the *over-swinging lamps. |
d. with
ns., in sense ‘situated above’ or ‘higher’; also, ‘the upper’ of two (or more) things:
= over a. 1: as
overbridge, -brow, -cheek, -world; so
overcord,
over-deyhouse,
over-half,
over-park,
over-pool.
| 1513–14 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 663, j long Roppe for the kyln, iiijs., et j *overcorde, ijd. |
| 1421–2 Ibid. 303 Pro cariacione feni ad le *Overdeyhous, iiijs. |
| c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 1463 On the *overhalf the Arche the watere no ferthere ranne. |
| 1533 in Weaver Wells Wills (1890) 205 Keper of his *overparke. 1535 Coverdale Isa. xxxvi. 2 By the condite of the ouerpole. |
e. In transferred senses of ‘higher, upper’,
e.g. in pitch, as
overblow v.,
oversound,
overtone.
2. a. With the sense ‘above in power, authority, rank, station’. In verbs, as overgovern, -lead, -lord, -master, -rule, -sway, etc.
q.v.; so
over-command,
over-order, etc.
| a 1600 Hooker Eccl. Pol. viii. ii. §3 There is no higher nor greater that can in those causes *over-command them. |
| 1839 Bailey Festus (1852) 521 May He who *over-orders all, Speed thee upon thy quest! |
b. So in
ns. and
adjs., derived from or related to
vbs., as
overrule, -ruler, -ruling, -seer, -sway, etc.; also in other
ns., in sense of ‘higher, superior’, as
over-king,
overlord, etc.; so
over-chanter,
over-chief,
over-dignity,
over-god,
over-plot,
over-shepherd.
| 1535 Goodly Primer Ps. xxii. (title), It is the song of David, committed to the *overchaunter. |
| 1853 J. Stevenson tr. Beda's Eccl. Hist. 505 If they should come into the presence of their *over-chief. |
| 1607 Day Trav. Eng. Bro. (1881) 49 Though my humillitie (I vow by heauen) Doth not affect that *ouerdignitie. |
| 1847 Emerson Poems (1857) 122 Speaks not of self that mystic tone, But of the *Overgods alone. |
| 1882–3 Schaff Encycl. Relig. Knowl. III. 1933 The lawful *overshepherd [Ger. oberhirt] of the Protestants living in his see [Paderborn]. |
3. With the sense of inclination to one side so as to lean over the space beneath. In
vbs., as
overbend, -bias, -lean, -sail
2, -weigh,
q.v. Also in derived
ns. and
adjs., as overbias, overleaning, etc.
4. With the sense of passing across over head, and so ‘away, off’. In verbs, as
overblow, -carry, -drive, -give, -go, -pass, etc.,
q.v. So in derived
ns. and
adjs. 5. a. With the sense of surmounting, passing over the top, or over the brim or edge. In verbs, as
overclimb, -boil, -brim, -flow (
q.v.),
overbubble,
over-burst,
over-well, etc. Sometimes (
b) implying ‘passing over without hitting, missing’, as
overleap, -look, -shoot. Also (
c)
fig. of surmounting or getting over an obstacle, an illness, a calamity, or the like, as
overcome.
b. Also in derived and related
ns. and
adjs., as
overflow, -flowing, -sight,
overbubbling,
oversplash, etc.
| 1896 Godey's Mag. Feb. 158/1 They showed such an *over⁓bubbling of good-nature. |
| 1856 H. O. Conant Eng. Bible Transl. i. (1881) 3 Outraged humanity has *overburst the bounds of discreet submission. |
| 1888 Spurgeon Serm. in Voice (N.Y.) 31 May, A sort of *over-splash of the great fountain of mercy. |
| 1869 Blackmore Lorna D. xix, The water *overwelled the edge. |
6. With the sense of motion forward and down, and hence of overturning, inversion. In verbs, as
overbalance, -bear, -beat, -blow, -cast, -set, -throw, -turn, etc. So in derived
ns. and
adjs., as
overbearing, -fall, -set, -turn, etc.
7. With the sense ‘down upon from above’. In verbs, as
overcome, -fall, -gang, -go, -leap, -look, -see, etc.,
q.v. 8. a. With the sense ‘upon the surface generally, all over, so as to prevail or abound over, cover, hide’. Also with the sense ‘upon the surface so as to cover in part’, as in
overpaint n.,
overprint v. II. In verbs, as
overcloud, to cloud (a thing) over, cover over with cloud,
overclothe, -cover, -glaze, -grow, -heap,
q.v. So
overbalm,
over-bepatch,
over-black,
over-blind,
over-cheer,
over-curtain,
over-dark,
over-darken,
over-dash,
over-drench,
over-dust,
over-encrust,
over-file,
over-fling,
over-flower,
over-froth,
over-fruit,
over-gall,
over-gird,
over-gloss,
over-hurl,
over-husk,
over-ink,
over-lace,
over-letter,
over-moss,
† over-noint,
over-prick,
over-rust,
over-scatter,
over-scent,
over-scourge,
over-scratch,
over-screen,
over-scribble,
over-sculpture,
over-seal,
over-shower,
over-silver,
over-spangle,
over-spatter,
over-stamp,
over-stud,
over-web,
over-wheal,
over-wipe,
over-wound, etc.
| a 1851 Moir Child's Burial v, That ‘the joy of grief’ (as Ossian sings) *o'erbalm'd the very air. |
| a 1657 Lovelace Poems (1864) 164 Me thought she look'd all *ore-bepatch'd with stars. |
| 1613–18 Daniel Coll. Hist. Eng. (1626) 6 [Gildas] *ouer-blacks them [the Britons] with such vgly deformities. |
| 1613 F. Robartes Rev. Gosp. 78 If self-loue and couetousnesse did not *ouerblind and entangle the men of this age. |
| 1555–8 T. Phaer æneid i. B iv b, His mother..with a roset youth his eies and countnaunce *overcheared. |
| 1577 Test. 12 Patriarchs (1706) 52 If you be *overdarkned with wickedness. |
| 1589 Greene Orpharion Wks. (Grosart) XII. 70 Linaments, wherevpon this native colour was *ouerdasht. |
| 1590 ― Orl. Fur. Wks. (Rtldg.) 111/1, I stand amaz'd deep *over-drench'd with joy. |
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iii. iii. 179 And giue to dust, that is a little guilt, More laud then guilt *oredusted. |
| 1632 Lithgow Trav. x, The Hals..most exquisitly *ouer-filed, and indented with Mosaicall worke. |
| 1876 Browning Nat. Magic i, Embowered With—who knows what verdure, *o'erfruited, *o'erflowered? |
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. v. iii. 54 Their eyes *ore-galled, with recourse of teares. |
| 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. vi. (1851) 125 When the gentle west winds shall open the fruitfull bosome of the earth thus *over-girded by your imprisonment. |
| 1673 Hickeringill Gregory Father Greybeard 145 This realm was..*overhurl'd with the new modern orthodox. |
| 1824 Beddoes Let. Dec. in Poems p. xxxvi, Lost to German and all humane learning, *o'erhusked with sweet dozing sloth. |
| 1855 Browning Cleon 2 The sprinkled isles, Lily on lily, that *o'erlace the sea. |
| 1827 Pollok Course T. vii. (1860) 187 *O'erletter'd by the hand Of oft frequenting pilgrims. |
| 1610 G. Fletcher Christ's Tri. i. xx, Our ships so *over⁓moss't, and brands so deadly blown. |
| c 1550 Lloyd Treas. Health (1585) X ij, *Over noynt the burned place therewith, for it healeth wonderfullye. |
| 1535 Latimer Serm. 21st Sund. Trinity Wks. I. 28 How hath this truth *over-rusted with the pope's rust? |
| 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. vii. i. §1 *Over⁓sented with the fragrant ointment of this Prince's memory. |
| 1906 Hardy Dynasts II. i. ii. 17 Draw down the curtain, then, and *overscreen This too-protracted verbal fencing-scene. |
| 1535 Coverdale 2 Esdras vi. 20 Whan the worlde..shalbe *ouersealed, then wyl I do these tokens. |
| 1608 Shakes. Per. iv. iv. 26 Pericles..With sighs shot through, and biggest tears *o'er-shower'd, Leaves Tarsus. |
| a 1628 F. Grevil Sidney (1652) 176, I beheld this grave subject..*over-spangled with lightnesse. |
| 1935 Burlington Mag. June 288/1 *Over-stamping on Sheffield-made candlesticks the London date-letter 1775–6. 1963 Times 23 May 9/6 She would inquire about what they were suffering from ‘and they would tell me nerves, flu, bronchitis, or gastritis and so on, and I just wrote out the certificate and signed {oqq}T. G. Boyle{cqq}, and overstamped’. 1977 Belfast Tel. 22 Feb. 3/1 Your book will be overstamped to include an extra {pstlg}1 a week for your first child from 4th April, 1977, and posted back to you. |
| 1532 More Confut. Barnes viii. Wks. 797/2 Those synnes onely whiche are with the pencell of daily prayer *ouerwyped. |
b. So with
ppl. adjs. and
vbl. ns., as
overgrown, -growth, -layer, -lying, etc.; so
overnoting,
over-wooded adjs.;
overscribble,
n.| 1567 Drant Horace B ij, Correcting and perfyting them with *ouernotyng hand. |
| 1890 E. Johnson Rise Christendom 39 We may distinguish in this great palimpsest the old Roman Scripture from the monkish *over-scribble. |
| 1797 Coleridge Lime-tree Bower 10 The roaring dell, *o'er⁓wooded, narrow, deep. |
c. With
ns. in the sense ‘overlying, covering, worn over or above’, ‘upper or outer’ (
cf. over a. 1 b); as in
overbody, -cloth, -coat, -dress, -glaze, -shoe, etc.; so
over-bodice,
over-bolster,
over-boot,
over-cape,
over-cloak,
over-collar,
over-cover,
over-gaiter,
over-gown,
over-jacket,
over-jumper,
over-mitt,
over-shirt,
over-sock,
over-stocking,
over-trousers, etc.; also
attrib. or
adj., as
overcup.
| 1897 Westm. Gaz. 15 July 3/2 A design demanding some skill in the arrangement of its *overbodice. |
| 1917 D. H. Lawrence Phoenix II (1968) 64 A single bed, opened for the night, the white *over-bolster piled back. |
| 1939–40 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 607/2 Motoring *Overboots, in Brown Sheepskin. 1959 Times 2 Oct. 14/6 Her..macintosh, rain hood, and over-boots testified to a careful preparation for the realities of the English climate. 1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face xiii. 143 Mick got ready for the next pitch, removing crampons and overboots in readiness for what was obviously going to be a hard piece of free rock climbing. |
| 1893 Amer. Missionary Oct. 325 Many of the people wear cotton *over⁓cloaks. |
| 1915 F. M. Ford Good Soldier iv. ii. 224 Fishing-rods in green baize *over-covers. 1963 Times 23 Feb. 11/3 Plentiful over-cover induced the deer to stay. |
| a 1904 Mod. U.S. Advt., These leggings are a sort of *overgaiter made of waterproof material. 1908 ‘O. Henry’ Voice of City 233 It was Rosalie, in..gray walking suit, and tan oxfords with lavender overgaiters. |
| 1895 Daily News 5 Feb. 6/6 The elaborate *over⁓jacket of the Louis XV period. |
| 1975 Times 7 Oct. 11/4 *Over-jumper with wide sleeves..and a square neck. |
| 1971 *Overmit [see liner1 3]. 1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face 298, Gloves with waterproof over-mitts are standard. |
| 1805 Lewis & Clark Orig. Jrnls. Expedition (1905) II. 159 The weather being warm I had left my leather *over shirt and had woarn only a yellow flannin one. 1869 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 347 He wore a bright scarlet over-shirt. 1974 Country Life 2 May 1096/2 The man wears a cotton..striped overshirt, denim shorts and pull-on hat. |
| 1911 Webster, *Over-sock. 1929 Footwear Organiser Jan. 31 (heading) The Oversock vogue spreads throughout the country. 1971 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Doctor Bird iii. 29 For golf, I have always worn..oversocks with good shoes. |
| 1892 Kipling Lett. of Travel (1920) 6 The driver with red mittens on his hands, felt *overstockings that come up to his knees, and, perhaps, a silvery-gray coon-skin coat on his back, walks beside me. |
| 1852 Harper's Mag. Apr. 707/1 My duck *over-trousers..were beginning to be rather tender in certain places. 1968 Daily Tel. 28 Sept. 9/4 Come rain or snow the lot would be covered by over-trousers or over-skirts and waterproof jackets. 1976 Good Motoring Nov. 24/1 Coats, jackets and overtrousers. |
9. With the sense of motion over a surface generally, so as to cover in whole or part; also of motion to and fro upon or all over; as in
overblow, -brede, -gang, -glide, -ride, -run, -sweep, etc. So
overbreak,
over-browse,
over-circulate,
over-range,
over-riot,
over-rush,
over-scour,
over-skim,
over-slur,
over-trail,
over-twist,
over-whisper, etc. Also with derived
ns. and
adjs., as
overthrust.
| 1850 Browning Easter Day xvii, A final belch of fire..*Overbroke all heaven. |
| 1850 Mrs. Browning Soul's Trav. viii, Banks too steep To be *o'erbrowzèd by the sheep. |
| 1632 Lithgow Trav. v. 229 That Orient maiesty arising to *ouercirculate the earth. |
| 1840 Browning Sordello i. 216 Too sure to *over-riot and confound..each brilliant islet with itself. |
| c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon xv. 4 To scud and *ouer-scour the earth in poast. |
| 1811 Shelley in Hogg Life (1858) I. 383 Without..employing any kind of declamation, *overslurring, or sophistry. |
| 1833 Tennyson Lady of Shalott Poems 10 The little isle is..*overtrailed With roses. |
| 1806 J. Grahame Birds Scot. 40 Ivy close, that *over⁓twisting binds. |
10. a. With the sense ‘across, from side to side, to the other side (L.
trans)’; as
overbring, -carve, -cross, -draw, etc. So
over-festoon,
over-link,
over-send,
over-split, etc.
| 1840 Browning Sordello i. 662 Thus thrall reached thrall: He *o'erfestooning every interval. |
| 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. ii. 77 A bridge made of many barges, *ouerlinked al together with two mightie cheines. |
| 1382 Wyclif Judg. iii. 28 The foordis of Jordan that *ouersenden [Vulg. transmittunt] in to Moab. |
| 1593 Tell-Troth's N.Y. Gift 29 Loyalty recovereth a world of *oversplit infirmities. |
b. So in derived
ns. and
adjs., as
overcut n., etc.
11. a. With the sense of bringing or gaining over to a party, opinion, etc. In verbs, as overbribe, -intreat (
-entreat), -persuade,
q.v. So
over-force,
over-influence,
over-pray,
over-tempt.
| 1603 Drayton Bar. Wars vi. lxii, Phœbus (she said) was *over-forc'd by art. |
| 1762 Life Sprat in Biogr. Dict. X. 486 He owns himself to have been *over-influenced to it by the powers above. |
| 1610 G. Fletcher Christ's Vict. i. xxvii, The judge might partiall be, and *over-prayed. |
| 1643 Milton Divorce i. xiv, Lest the soul of a Christian..should be *over-tempted and cast away. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xviii. ii, A small breach of friendship which he had been over-tempted to commit. |
b. So with derived
ns. and
adjs., as over-persuasion, and other
ns. as
† over-money.
12. With the sense of ‘across a boundary’; hence, of transgression; as in
overgang, -go, -lash, etc. Also in derivatives, as overlashing.
13. a. With the sense ‘beyond a point or limit, farther than’; in
vbs., as
overfly, -go, -grow, -reach,
over-clasp, etc. Also in derivatives, as overgoing.
| 1775 Adair Amer. Ind. 310 The hunter..makes off to a sappling, which the bear by over-clasping cannot climb. |
b. Prefixed to a plural number (or
occas. a singular number used
attrib.) to denote persons who are older than that particular age.
| 1940 Graves & Hodge Long Week-End xvii. 303 The Evening News..throwing open its columns to the over-forties. 1959 Manch. Guardian 19 Aug. 3/6 Sir Compton Mackenzie and Miss Ruby Miller, for the over-70s, sparring with youthful zest. 1960 Guardian 13 Apr. 6/6 There seems to be no place for the over-fifties. 1960 C. Watson Bump in Night ii. 25 We shall want to take a closer look..without being trampled to death by the Over-Sixty clubs. 1972 M. J. Bosse Incident at Naha 47 They had their hair done in an over-thirty style. 1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 22 The over-twenties, I grant you, must see it [sc. sex] largely as a matter of obligation, too: but obligation to the partner, not to oneself, like us. 1975 B. Meyrick Behind Light xiv. 183 After the boys' competitions, where I came in second in the over-twelves, came..community hymn singing. 1977 New Wave No. 7. 8 The only night spots, right, are an over-25's place and Mecca. |
14. With the sense as in
overtake,
q.v. So in
overcatch, -get, -hale, -haul, -hent, -hie, -nim.
15. With the sense as in
overhear,
q.v. So in
overlisten,
oversee 4.
16. With the sense ‘all through’ (something extended), ‘through the extent of’, ‘from beginning to end’; in
vbs., as
overlook, -name, -pass, -read, -view, etc.
17. With the senses ‘through’, ‘to the end of’ in time; ‘to an end or issue’, ‘to extinction’ (
= out- 15 b); in
vbs., as
overpass, -run, -sey; so
overdream,
over-dure,
over-last,
over-waste.
| 1818 Milman Samor 171 As though they had *o'erdream'd The churlish winter. |
| 1633 J. Done Hist. Septuagint 197 But this story of Aristeus hath *overdured those flames. |
| 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche Jan. x, She begs but what shall well *o'erlast a day. |
| 1603 Drayton Bar. Wars vi. lxxiii, None regarded to maintaine the light, Which being *over-wasted, was gone out. |
18. With the sense ‘beyond’ in time, ‘too long’, ‘too late’; in
vbs., as
overbide, -keep, -live, -stay, etc.; so
overtarry. In
ns. in the sense ‘surviving’, as over-belief; so
over-structure.
| 1843 Lytton Last Bar. iv. iv, I have overtarried, my lord. |
19. With the sense ‘remaining over’ or ‘in addition or excess’, ‘surplus’, ‘extra’; as in
vb. overleave; in
ns. as
overdeal,
overtime; so
over-hours,
over-matter,
over-wages.
| 1832 *Over hours [see over a. 3]. 1887 Rogers in Contemp. Rev. May 686, I was astonished at discovering where the worst cases of over-hours were. |
| 1887 Pall Mall G. 5 Feb. 5/2 It contains seven pages of ‘*over-matter’ put in type for ‘Fors’ but never before published. 1928 Daily Express 7 Feb. 3/6 Early buyers of lingerie had all the advantages, for most of the real bargains..belonged to ranges that..were ‘overmatter’ that had to be cast out of stock. 1967 Economist 2 Dec. p. iii/2 This one book is only a bit of overmatter from all his earlier over-writings. 1972 Observer 12 Mar. 16/8 Large quantities of titanium overmatter..were just thrown into the dustbin. 1977 Oxf. Diocesan Mag. Oct. 4/1 The carry-forward of over-matter means that no issue can be planned as ‘an island, entire of itself’. |
| 1856 Olmsted Slave States 103 All that they choose to do more than this they are paid for..; and invariably this *over-wages is used by the slave for himself... Nearly all gained by overwork $5 a month. |
20. With the notion of repetition, ‘over again’; in
vbs., as
overact, -hear, -read, -say; in
ns., as
overcome, -word. So
overqueath OE. ofercweðan, to say over again, repeat;
over-fought ppl. adj.| 971 Blickl. Hom. 15 We hit sceolan eft ofercweþan. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 3 Dec. 4/2 There is something of an over-fought battle, and a slaying of the slain. |
21. With the sense of overcoming, putting down, or getting the better of, by the action or thing expressed; in
vbs., as
overawe, -brave, -dare, -face,
q.v.; so
overbray,
over-choke,
over-cow,
over-daze,
over-deave,
over-drowse,
over-fright,
over-lume,
over-noise,
over-stifle,
over-war,
over-wrestle. So in verbal derivatives, as
overcowed, etc.
It is possible that
overburden,
overcark,
overload,
overweigh, and the like, belong originally here, rather than to 27.
| 1876 Blackie Songs Relig. & Life 202 To *overbray The voice of grave authority. |
| 1603 Florio Montaigne i. xxx. (1632) 102 We have altogether *overchoked her [Nature]. |
| 1834 Pringle Afr. Sk. x. 312 note, One feels oneself fairly ‘*overcowed’, and dare not even aspire to be heard. |
| 1632 Quarles Div. Fancies ii. xxxii. (1660) 64 She smiles, she wonders, being *overdaz'd With his bright beams, stands silent, stands amaz'd. |
| 1817 Wordsw. Vernal Ode iv, To lie and listen—till *o'er-drowsèd sense Sinks, hardly conscious of the influence. |
| 1711 Shaftesbury Charac. (1737) I. 88 This..cou'd never have been acted by other than mean spirits, such as had been held in awe, and *over-frighted by the magi. |
| 1794 J. Williams Shrove Tuesday 3 When..lesser planets Phœbus had *o'erlumed. |
| a 1667 Cowley Greatness in Verses & Ess. (1687) 126 No Mirth or Musick *over⁓noise your Fears. |
| 1666 W. Boghurst Loimographia 25 *Overstifling and weakening people with too much sweating. |
| 1589 Warner Alb. Eng. v. xxv. Q ij b, The chiefe and grauest of the Peeres, did *ouer-warred flye Into the Woods. |
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 24 When life recover'd had the raine, And *over-wrestled his strong enimy. |
II. over- in the sense of ‘over or beyond’ in degree or quality; hence, of surpassing, excelling, exceeding, excess.
22. a. With the notion of doing some action over or beyond another agent, of going beyond, surpassing, or excelling in the action denoted by the simple
vb. In verbs, as
overbid 2,
overleap 4,
overrun 9; so
overamble,
over-bandy,
over-bark,
over-blaze,
over-cackle,
over-chant,
over-cry,
over-perk,
over-ring,
over-ruff,
over-scream,
over-smite,
over-squeak,
over-stare. etc.
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 28 Herpalicee, sweeft queene, steeds strong *ouerambling. |
| 1592 Nashe P. Pennilesse D ij b, He so far outstript him in vilanious words, and *ouerbandied him in bitter tearmes. |
| 1652 Sclater Civ. Magistracy (1653) 2 The sparkling of the one, *overblazed the duskishnesse of the other. 1562 *Ouercakill [see overcrow]. |
| 1628 Shirley Witty Fair One i. ii, An hundred nightingales Shall fall down dead..For grief to be *o'er-chanted. |
| 1571 Golding Calvin on Ps. xlviii. 3 That that gorgeousnesse or that loftines *overperk not Gods power. |
| 1604 T. M. Ant & Nightingale C iv, He walkt the chamber with such a pestilent Gingle, that his Spurs *ouersqueakt the Lawyer. |
| 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. i. 27, I would *ore-stare the sternest eies that looke: Out-braue the heart most daring on the earth. |
b. In verbs formed on
ns., with the sense of surpassing in, or in the rôle of, as
over-ˈbulk,
over-ˈmultitude;
esp. in nonce-phrases, as
overgospel the gospel,
over-Macpherson Macpherson,
over-puppy, etc.
Cf. out- 21, 23.
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 320 The seeded Pride..must or now be cropt, Or shedding breed a Nursery of like euil To ouer-bulke vs all. 1634 Milton Comus 731 The herds would over-multitude their Lords. 1647 Ward Simp. Cobler 17 He will outlaw the Law,..over-Gospell the Gospell. 1735 Sheridan in Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 124 My two puppies have..overpuppied their puppyships. 1826 Southey Lett. (1856) IV. 17 This is over-Macphersoning Macpherson. |
23. In reflexive
vbs., with the sense of surpassing oneself,
i.e. one's former or ordinary achievements, one's capacity, strength, etc.; often with the sense of exhausting oneself by the action; sometimes merely of doing to excess or too much, as in 27: as
overbloom itself, overdrink, -eat, -sleep oneself; so
over-bowl,
over-plot,
over-polk, etc.
Cf. also sense 27 a.
| 1844 W. Lillywhite's Illustr. Hand-bk. Cricket 18 Do not *over bowl yourself by random bowling. 1886 Daily News 6 Sept. 3/4 He will over-bowl himself if he is not very careful. 1962 Punch 1 Aug. 152/3 A Cowdrey who would certainly not overbowl himself. |
| 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1811) IV. 57, I have *over-plotted myself. |
| 1853 C. M. Yonge Heir of Redclyffe xii, She has *over-polked herself in London, and is sent here for quiet and country air. |
24. a. In sense ‘more than’: with verbs, as
overbalance, -fill, -match, -mate, etc.; so
over-conquer,
over-empty,
over-equal,
over-fit,
over-overcome,
over-parallel,
over-satisfy.
| 1602 Carew Cornwall 64 b, The women would be verie loth to come behinde the fashion, in new⁓fanglednes..if not in costlynes,..which perhaps might *ouer-empty their husbands purses. |
| 1716 M. Davies Athen. Brit. II. 186 Bona is *over-equall'd by Bishops Kidder and Ken. |
| 1726–31 Waldron Isle of Man (1865) 72 Shoes..of such a monstrous length and bigness, that they would infinitely have *over-fitted the feet of the giants set up in Guild-hall. |
| 1647 Trapp Comm. Rom. viii. 37 We do *over-overcome, because through faith in Christ we overcome before we fight. |
| 1620 Ford Linea V. (Shaks. Soc.) 68 Nor shall [it] euer [be] *ouer-paralleled by any age succeeding. |
| 1609 Bp. Hall No Peace w. Rome §12 Who can abide that any mortall man should *ouer-satisfie God for his sinnes? |
b. So in derivatives; also in other
adjs., as over-due,
overfull,
overcomplete,
over-womanly.
| 1868 G. Stephens Runic Mon. I. 280 The alphabet thus inscribed being occasionally incomplete or *overcomplete. |
| 1682 Dryden Duke of Guise i. iii, Such an habitual *over⁓womanly goodness. |
25. With the sense ‘exceedingly, beyond measure, lavishly’. In verbs, often rendering L.
super-, as overabound, -flourish, -glad, -grieve, -high, -hope, -joy, etc. In
adjs., as overdear,
over-excelling,
over-glorious. Now
obs. or
arch., the sense having usually passed into 27.
| a 1656 Bp. Hall Invis. World iii. i, Those *over-excelling glories of the good Angels. |
| 1633 Ford 'Tis Pity v. v, How *over-glorious art thou in thy wounds, Triumphing over infamy and hate! |
26. With the sense ‘to a greater extent, or at a greater rate, than is usual, natural, or intended; too far’. In verbs, as
overact, -bid, -buy, -carry, -count, -enter, -esteem, -estimate, -hold, -launch,
-let, -pay, -prize, -rate, -sell, etc. In
adjs., as
overawful, etc.
** With the sense ‘in or to excess, too much, too’. Now a leading sense of
over- in combination with verbs, adjectives, substantives, and adverbs.
In
mod. Eng. very common with a negative (
esp. in
adjs. and their derivatives), as in
not over-brave,
not over-obliging, ‘
he was not over-pleased with the result’; in which
not over- is said by litotes for ‘not quite enough’, ‘somewhat deficiently’:
not over-wise = rather wanting in wisdom.
This sense was approached in Gothic by the
adj. ufarfulls ‘full to overflowing’, and the
vb. ufarwahsian ‘to grow exceedingly’ (
repr. Gr. ὑπεραυξάνειν); it was frequent in
ON., expressed by
ofr-,
of-, before
adjs., nouns of quality and action, rarer with
vbs.; occasional in
OHG. (
ubareȥȥan, ubartrinchan, -trenkan, ubarfullî:
cf. MHG. ubervol). In
OE. it occurs in many
adjs., a few
vbs., and numerous derivative or other
ns. In
OE. and the cognate langs.,
over was in true combination; its generalized use in
mod. Eng. renders it much more a distinct element, often merely in syntactical combination, so that, except in a few words of old standing, it is usually hyphened to the word which it qualifies.
In verbs, there is a distinct secondary stress on
over- which may, in case of antithesis or emphasis, become the main stress. Adjectives, substantives, and adverbs have normally even stress:
ˈover-ˈapt,
ˈover-abˈstemious,
ˈover-ˈworry,
ˈover-ˈoften; either stress being liable to be subordinated, according to the construction and emphasis. Thus,
an ˈover-ˌapt scholar,
we think him ˈover-ˈapt;
we want culture,
not ˈover-ˌculture. In this sense,
over- is rarely contracted in verse to
o'er-, and properly only where the stress can be retained, as in
ˌo'er-eˈnamoured.
27. a. With verbs (or with
ns. or
adjs. forming verbs). A few occur in
OE.,
e.g. oferdón,
-drencan,
-drincan,
-fyllan,
-sieman,
-sprecan (some of which however only approach this sense, or can be otherwise explained).
ME. added to these,
a 1300,
overcark, -charge (F.
surcharger);
a 1400
overheat, -lade, -praise, -run,
over-dread,
-sup;
a 1500
overdrive. In the 16th century they began to abound, as
overblow, -boil, -burden, -busy, -cloy, -cram, -dare, -eat, -fear, -gorge, -labour, -load, -love, -please, -reach, -roast, -woo,
over-bake,
over-black,
over-cull,
over-dull,
over-itch. By 1600 It had become allowable to prefix
over- to any
vb. whose sense admitted of it, so that we find, besides those entered as Main words:
a 1700
over-afflict,
over-argue,
over-cherish,
over-chill,
over-cleave,
over-commend,
over-confute,
over-creed,
over-doze,
over-engage,
over-expect,
over-fancy,
over-feel,
over-fix,
over-gird,
over-grace,
over-grasp,
over-honour,
over-know,
over-linger,
over-loath,
over-magnify,
over-marl,
over-meddle,
over-mix,
over-moisten,
over-multiply,
over-nourish,
over-oblige,
over-pamper,
over-preface,
over-promise,
over-prove,
over-reward,
over-sauce,
over-sot,
over-store,
over-thick,
over-till,
over-vilify,
over-worship, etc.
a 1800
over-agonize,
over-boast,
over-digest,
over-gratify,
over-nurse,
over-pepper,
over-plot,
over-possess,
over-relax, etc.
a 1900
over-accentuate,
over-blame,
over-book,
over-borrow,
over-bowl,
over-breed,
over-cultivate,
over-damn,
over-dance,
over-decorate,
over-doctrinize,
over-edit,
over-educate,
over-egg,
over-emphasize,
over-enjoy,
over-enrich,
over-exaggerate,
over-express,
over-fag,
over-fatten,
over-feast,
over-fee,
over-flatten,
over-flog,
over-gamble,
over-generalize,
over-gun,
over-hate,
over-horse,
over-humanize,
over-inflate,
over-influence,
over-insure,
over-job,
over-kick,
over-land,
over-mill,
over-objectify,
over-organize,
over-pack,
over-peacock,
over-pet,
over-plum,
over-puff,
over-quarter,
over-race,
over-rapturize,
over-represent,
over-scare,
over-scrub,
over-slander,
over-staff,
over-teach,
over-worry, etc.
20th–c.
over-bowl,
over-commit,
over-complicate,
over-condense,
over-control,
over-cook,
over-deflate,
over-dramatize,
over-elaborate,
over-ink,
over-interpret,
over-invest,
over-order,
over-rank,
over-regulate,
over-rev (
trans. and
intr.),
over-secrete,
over-stress.
| 1885 A. Brereton Dramatic Notes 31 She slightly *over-accentuated certain passages. 1977 Gramophone Jan. 1160/1 If anything the conductor over-accentuates at the expense of broader phrasing. |
| 1645 Bp. Hall Remedy Discontents 69 Hee that *over⁓afflicts his body, kills a Subject. |
| 1598 Epulario L ij, But let them not bee *ouerbaked. |
| 1593 Nashe Christs T. Wks. (Grosart) IV. 91 Shuld I *ouer-blacke mine Incke, perplexe pale Paper..with the sadde tedious recitall? |
| 1896 Newton Dict. Birds Introd. 35 We must not *over-blame those who caused it. |
| 1962 Times 15 May 4/2 It must be a temptation for his captain to *overbowl him. 1976 J. Snow Cricket Rebel 41 In his first full championship season in 1974 Andy [Roberts] was overbowled consistently throughout the summer while Hampshire tried to retain the county title. |
| 1657–83 Evelyn Hist. Relig. (1850) I. 231 Endeavour that we do not *over-cherish their emotions and solicitudes. |
| 1664 ― Kal. Hort. Jan. in Sylva etc. (1729) 191 Such seeds are in peril of being..*over-chill'd and frozen. |
| 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 352 Take heed, not to *ouer-cleaue the stocks of your trees. |
| 1964 Y. Malkiel in Archivum Linguisticum XVI. 15 W. J. Entwistle may have *over-committed himself. 1973 Guardian 11 Apr. 8/7 A few [families] were found to have overcommitted themselves with hire purchase. |
| 1966 A. Battersby Math. in Managem. v. 130 One can easily *over-complicate a model, and the manager and mathematician must collaborate closely to decide not only what is relevant, but what is significant. 1976 H. Tracy Death in Reserve xiv. 113 You're over-complicating the whole thing. |
| 1933 Mind XLII. 391 The actual statement of the theory is, in view of its importance, somewhat *over-condensed, and ought perhaps to have been expanded. 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio xiii. 232 Pace is not achieved by over-condensing vital information. |
| 1941 Sun (Baltimore) 28 June 1/5 He simply *overcontrolled the ship. |
| 1904 Daily Chron. 30 May 8/3 So you can *over-cook even a sauce. 1963 R. Carrier Great Dishes of World xiii. 225 Be careful not to overcook pasta. 1975 I. Daly in D. Marcus Best Irish Short Stories (1977) II. 32, I want the steak medium-rare... All you Irish overcook meat. 1977 Harpers & Queen Sept. 28/1 The salmon was overcooked. |
| 1605 Sylvester Du Bartas, Sonn. late Peace xxxvi, One *ouer-Creeds, another Creeds too-short. |
| 1593 Nashe Four Lett. Conf. Wks. (Grosart) II. 251, I do not *overcull my own workes. |
| 1809 H. More Cœlebs I. xxi. 318 Such a fear of *over⁓cultivating learning, that [etc.]. |
| 1962 Daily Tel. 15 June 14/2 The reported trends are signs..that the economy has been *over-deflated and that confidence in future expansion needs fostering. 1974 Times 28 Feb. 19/2 A Labour Government would be tempted to overdeflate in the Budget in order to make itself more attractive to foreign lenders. |
| 1955 S. Spender Making of Poem iv. 63 Perhaps I *over-dramatize the affair. 1976 M. Butterworth Remains to be Seen vii. 111 The flat..he now saw as a fortress... He hoped he was over-dramatizing his situation. |
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5166 Holde þe evene hem betwene Nat *over-drede ne overwene. |
| 1597 J. Payne Royal Exch. 31 The multitude of there worcks *over dulleth and burdeneth. |
| 1905 Daily Chron. 2 Sept. 3/1 Mr. Phillpotts has resisted the temptation..to *over-elaborate his descriptions of natural scenery. 1933 W. E. Orchard From Faith to Faith ix. 206 These [dogmas] were over-elaborated during the early controversies, and have only obscured His personal power by theories about Him. |
| 1905 Outlook 7 Oct. 485/1 He *over-emphasises when he suggests that Hungary is a solid State and Austria but a bundle of provinces. 1926 J. S. Huxley Ess. Pop. Sci. 153 This..we must discount unless we are to over-emphasize the antinomy between the microcosm and the macrocosm. 1968 H. Harris Nucleus & Cytoplasm i. 12 It cannot be over-emphasized that actinomycin D is an extremely toxic compound. |
| a 1680 Charnock Attrib. God (1834) II. 127 He never *over⁓engageth himself above his ability. |
| 1852 Mill Pol. Econ. (ed. 3) I. ii. ii. 276 Wealth which could no longer be employed in *over-enriching a few. |
| 1883 ‘Mark Twain’ Life on Mississippi 399 Terms which did not *over-express the admiration with which the people viewed him. 1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 17, I am not suited for this sort of confrontation despite..a bloody season of overexpressed personal opinions as a newspaper columnist. |
| 1635 Bp. of Peterborough in Buccleuch MSS. I. 275 Your Lordship..might well judge me otherwise, if I should *over-fancy that way. |
| 1611 Beaum. & Fl. King & No King i. i, You think to *ouer⁓grace me with The marriage of your sister. |
| 1755 Man No. 10. 4 The drunkard, who seeks his pleasure in drink, *over-gratifies his appetite. |
| 1805 Nelson 2 Jan. in Nicolas Disp. (1846) VI. 313 The Ventura..is *over-gunned. |
| 1813 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. X. 77 Great care must be taken..not to *overhorse any [regiments]. Too many horses are worse than too few. |
| 1927 Observer 12 June 9 The literary man..is apt to *over-ink his pictures of contemporary morals. |
| 1939 T. S. Eliot Family Reunion ii. i. 77 You *overinterpret. I am sure that your mother always loved him; There was never the slightest suspicion of scandal. 1963 Times 9 May 16/4 She..sometimes fell into the opposite trap of overinterpreting detail. 1975 Nature 18 Dec. 562/3 There is a danger, however, that such a negative result could be over-interpreted as suggesting that recombinant experiments are inherently safe. |
| 1934 Webster, *Overinvest. 1958 New Statesman 25 Jan. 94/3 The trouble about Poland today..is that we are rather like a furniture manufacturer who has plenty of table legs but no table tops. We have over-invested in legs and now we want more capital for the tops. |
| 1599 Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 93 So huge a multitude of..works as in this over⁓ranke age mens finger *over-itching have produced. |
| 1639 Fuller Holy War iii. xiv. (1647) 133 Neither ignorant of his greatnesse, nor *over-knowing it. |
| 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iv. i 242 He loves not to *over-linger any in an afflicting hope, but speedily dispatcheth the fears or desires of his expecting clients. 1895 W. B. Yeats Poems 23 He has over-lingered his welcome. |
| 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 28 The Chymistes..*overmagnifying their preparations. |
| a 1700 Creech (J.), Little pleasure *overmixt with woe. |
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §422 It will *over-Moisten the Roots, so as the Wormes will eate them. |
| a 1656 Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 13 Our Romanists exceed..both in *over-multiplying and over-magnifying of it. |
| 1658 Osborn Adv. Son Wks. (1673) 80 If it be dangerous to *over-oblige a King, it is mortal in relation to a Free-State. |
| 1950 Times 20 Feb. 7/7 It was not surprising that, when steel was most scarce, the distribution scheme worked least well: firms *over-ordered and accumulated stocks and there was nothing to encourage them to use as little steel as possible. 1977 D. Bennett Jigsaw Man v. 106 ‘You aren't liking your good grub.’ ‘I think I over-ordered.’ |
| 1633 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. (1851) 123 Who would *over-pamper a body, for the worms? |
| 1720 R. Mead Plague Pref., Wks. (1762) 233 Wrong notions..may sometimes *over-possess their minds. |
| 1912 A. Lang Shakespeare, Bacon & Great Unknown iv. 81 Mr. Collins, ‘a violent Stratfordian’, *overproved his case. 1929 R. Graves Poems 31 Now is a sheet of paper, A not blank expectation,..A being, over-proved, A report of happiness. |
| 1958 New Statesman 23 Aug. 222/3 In answering poll-questionnaires..‘we tend to *over-rank ourselves’. 1972 Korea Times 17 Nov. 2/3, I am no longer willing to remain patient with the parade of overranked non-entities whose actions reflect their own ignorance. |
| 1938 Sun (Baltimore) 16 Apr. 8 Mr. Roosevelt is equally muddled in his general attitude toward trade and industry. For five years he has *overregulated trade and industry. 1973 Sci. Amer. Sept. 165/1 Some observers believe that the pharmaceutical industry is now overregulated and that bureaucratic interference with the industry has reached such a level that the American public is being denied certain drugs available overseas. |
| a 1754 R. Mead Fevers ii. ibid. 482 That very warmth..becoming prejudicial, by *over-relaxing the fibres. |
| 1935 C. G. Burge Compl. Bk. Aviation 87/1 The control stick is pushed forward to give the diving position and the throttle eased slightly back to avoid *over-revving the engine. 1978 Daily Tel. 26 July 3/2 Mr Wheatcroft adjusted the accelerator, but..he noticed that the coach seemed to be ‘over-revving’, as though the driver was not using the brakes to slow it down. |
| 1682 Wheler Journ. Greece 312 We had like to have *over-sawc'd it [the Supper] with wine. |
| 1927 Haldane & Huxley Animal Biol. viii. 164 If the pituitary begins to *over-secrete before the epiphyses have been joined by bone to the shafts, the patient becomes a giant. |
| a 1643 J. Shute Judgem. & Mercy (1645) 119 Men have so *oversotted themselves, that..they have turned the courses of men. |
| 1916 T. MacDonagh Lit. in Ireland 66 An Irish reader would be content to pronounce the words as they come,..not *overstressing ‘in’ and ‘up’. 1933 Mind XLII. 238 It is also admitted that children have to be taught cleanliness (which parents often over-stress from snobbishness!). 1970 Daily Tel. 26 Sept. 9/7 It would however be wrong to overstress the importance of colour in lithography. 1977 Bitumen (Shell Internat. Petroleum Co.) 7 Knowledge of such properties has made it possible to design roads and airfield runways on sound engineering principles, ensuring that no part is over-stressed even under the heaviest loads. |
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 429 Ich gloton..*ouer-sopede at my soper. |
| 1601 Holland Pliny I. 555 Nothing is lesse profitable, and expedient, than to labor a ground exceeding much, and to *ouer-til it. |
| 1651 Baxter Inf. Bapt. 345, I quickly found too many over⁓valuing it, and some *overvilifying it. |
| 18.. in Macm. Mag. (1880) XLI. 225 Overworked, *over-worried, Over-Croker'd, over-Murray'd. 1635 *Over-worship [see overpraise]. |
b. This use is often found with
pa. pples., when the other parts of the verb occur with
over- rarely or not at all: as in
over-agitated,
over-answered,
over-assessed,
over-bitten,
over-blessed,
over-bred,
over-browned,
over-brushed,
over-chafed,
over-characterized,
over-chased,
over-chidden,
over-coached,
over-concentrated,
over-concerned,
over-corned,
over-culled,
over-cumbered,
over-delighted,
over-disciplined,
over-discounted,
over-dunged,
over-exacted,
over-exalted,
over-explained,
over-fagged,
over-famed,
over-fawned,
over-furnished,
over-goaded,
over-handicapped,
over-harassed,
over-helped,
over-hurried,
over-imported,
over-instructed,
over-involved,
over-iodized,
over-listed,
over-mortgaged,
over-mucked,
over-pained,
over-pointed,
over-polished,
over-preoccupied,
over-protracted,
over-provoked,
over-ravished,
over-recovered,
over-rehearsed,
over-represented,
over-restored,
over-retched,
over-rigged,
over-sated,
over-saturated,
over-scented,
over-seasoned,
over-seeded,
over-settled,
over-smitten,
over-soaked,
over-stalled,
over-stent,
over-stored,
over-stowed,
over-sweated,
over-technicized,
over-thronged,
over-tippled,
over-tutored,
over-vexed,
over-withered, etc.
| 1649 Bp. Hall Cases Consc. iii. vii. 290 What is fit to be determined in a business so *over-agitated. |
| 1851 Ruskin Stones Ven. I. App. viii. 364 They [plates]..are *over-bitten, they are hastily drawn. |
| c 1804 Wordsworth Vaudracour & Julia in Misc. Poems (1820) I. 283 His spirit sank, Surcharged, within him,—*overblest to move Beneath a sun that wakes a weary world. 1918 Nation (N.Y.) 7 Feb. 130/1 Not by any means a leader even in a body that has not of late been overblessed with outstanding personages. 1977 D. Clark Gimmel Flask iii. 58 Green wasn't over-blessed with good manners. |
| 1659 Gauden Tears Church Pref. 14 *Over-bred, and too much Gentlemen. |
| 1806 A. Hunter Culina (ed. 3) 117 Take care that it be not *overbrowned. |
| 1561 Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 21 It is good for the stomake that is *ouerchafed. |
| 1959 Times 9 Nov. 6/1 To begin with they [sc. the figures] are heavily *over-characterized (by the dangerous means of self-description). |
| 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 666 Nature will not be *ouer-chased. |
| 1957 K. G. Wittfogel Oriental Despotism 24 On-the-spot rains create additional dangers when they are *overconcentrated. |
| 1934 Webster s.v. Over- 6, *Overconcerned. 1941 Mind L. 2 You are under-concerned about the cases which don't trouble you at the moment, and over-concerned about the one that is striking you at the moment. 1976 P. Hill Hunters vi. 67 Was he then weak..over-concerned with what others thought of him. |
| 1565 Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 620 To be too careful, and *ouercombred about the iudgements of mortal Men. |
| a 1600 Hooker Serm. Pride i. Wks. 1888 III. 598 The fearful estate of iniquity *over-exalted. |
| 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. xviii. §14 The city..was instantly conquered, whose strength was much *over-famed. |
| 1602 Breton Mother's Blessing xliii, And neuer be with flatterers *ouerfawnd. |
| 1703 Collier Ess. ii. 158, I dont think myself *over-furnished. |
| 1841–4 Emerson Ess. Ser. ii. vi. (1876) 142, I am *overinstructed for my return. |
| 1965 M. Morse Unattached iii. 90 Even the most..skilled of workers can..become *over-involved with the..situation at hand. |
| 1878 Abney Photogr. (1881) 62 The solution is ‘*over-iodized’; that is, it is super-saturated with silver iodide. |
| 1665 Conn. Col. Rec. (1852) II. 23 Mr. Edward Palmes appeales to this Court..for being *ouerlisted by James Rogers and Cary Latham. |
| 1868 Dublin Univ. Mag., The travelling histrionics commemorated, or rather *over-over-coloured by Crabbe. |
| 1589 Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 25 When thou art *over⁓pained with passions. |
| 1725 Blackwall Sacr. Class. I. i. ii. §5. 85 A judicious ear would be offended with a style *over⁓polish'd. |
| 1975 Times Lit. Suppl. 13 June 669/1 Historians..had been *overpreoccupied with what was done to the slaves and had slighted what slaves had done for themselves. |
| 1633 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. (1851) 149 It grieves him, to be *over-provoked to our punishment. |
| 1962 Which? (Car Suppl.) Jan. 11/2 Where there is a minus figure, it means that the braking system had *over-recovered and needed less pressure than usual; this may make control difficult. 1967 D. Goch in Wills & Yearsley Handbk. Managem. Technol. 147 Fixed over-heads, being relatively unaffected by fluctuations in the number of units produced during the period, will be either under- or over-recovered to the extent that output varies from that which was assumed to be normal when the standards were set. |
| 1976 Gramophone May 1732/1 Most concerts are under-rehearsed and rely too much on the inspiration of the moment, or are *over-rehearsed and so dead. |
| 1900 Daily News 17 Oct. 4/5 In Wales the Liberals are *over-represented. In the predominant partner the Tories are over-represented. 1965 J. Hajnal in Glass & Eversley Population in Hist. vi. 121 The deaths of young women are very probably over-represented. 1974 Howard Jrnl. XIV. 39 ESN schools, where West Indian youths are significantly over-represented, mainly because they have been wrongly placed there. |
| 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. v. 18 Shee is *ouer⁓rigged. |
| 1819 Shelley Cyclops 507 I'm..With the young feast *over-sated. |
| 1621 Fletcher Pilgrim iv. ii, Had I been *over-season'd with base anger, And suited all occasions to my mischiefs. |
| 1615 W. Lawson Country Housew. Gard. (1626) 22 One could not thriue for the throng of his neighbours..like a Corne-field *ouer-seeded, or a towne ouer⁓peopled. |
| a 1639 W. Whately Prototypes ii. xxvi. (1640) 82 Be not *over-setled in a purpose about things of this nature. |
| 1628 Gaule Pract. The. (1629) 153 That we are either vnacquainted, or *ouerstalled with it. |
| 1786 Har'st Rig in Chambers Pop. Hum. Scot. P. (1862) 46 Frae this they tell, as how the rent O' sic a room was *overstent. |
| a 1677 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. ii. ix. 208 The Ocean it self would have been long since *over-stored with Fish. |
| 1953 Mind LXII. 424 It is a joy to go back to the beginnings of a subject which has since become *over-technicised. |
| 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. 493 Richard the last Abbot..being *ouer-tipled as it were with wealth. |
| 1691 Norris Pract. Disc. Pref. 6 They suffer in their Morals by being *over-tutour'd, as some men do in their Health by being over-physick'd. |
28. a. With adjectives, simple or derivative.
These appear already in
OE. and the cognate langs. In
OE. nearly 30 examples are recorded, including
oferbliðe,
oferceald,
ofereald,
oferfǽtt,
oferfull,
ofergrǽdiᵹ,
oferhéah,
oferhl{uacu}d,
ofermicel,
oferranc;
oferǽte,
-etol,
ofersprecol,
oferglenged,
ofermódiᵹ,
ofermódl{iacu}c, etc. In
OE. these were treated as true compounds. In
ME. over was often written separately, and its use began to be extended beyond the words handed down from
OE. Since
c 1500, the tendency has been to treat
over as a movable element which can be prefixed at will to any
adj.; and in
Sc. and
north. Eng. dialects, where
ower,
owre is the regular equivalent of Standard
Eng. too, it is always written as a separate word. In literary English it is usually hyphened,
exc. in a small number of combinations of ancient standing and frequent use, which are usually written as single words:
e.g. overfond,
overfull,
overmuch, etc. But even in literary
Eng.,
over is sometimes treated as a separate word, and the consciousness that it is such is seen in the colloquial strengthened form
over and above, ‘not over and above particular’.
The more important of these are treated as Main words: see overactive, -bitter, -bold, -busy, etc. Other examples are: Of
OE. age
overblithe.
a 1400
over-sour,
over-steadfast,
over-wroth.
a 1500
over-blind,
over-covetous,
over-dainty,
over-delicious,
over-felon,
over-foul,
over-good,
over-huge,
over-mighty.
a 1600
over-apt,
over-base,
over-battle,
over-capable,
over-captious,
over-charitable,
over-childish,
over-corrupt,
over-deep,
over-extreme,
over-faint,
over-faithful,
over-fierce,
over-foolish,
over-frail,
over-gamesome,
over-general,
over-gentle,
over-greasy,
over-gross,
over-haught,
over-heinous,
over-idle,
over-insolent,
over-lightheaded,
over-lofty,
over-meek,
over-merry,
over-ordinary,
over-painful,
over-passionate,
over-pert,
over-piteous,
over-plausible,
over-plentiful,
over-politic,
over-potent,
over-presumptuous,
over-prolix,
over-prone,
over-rife,
over-rude,
over-russet,
over-sapless,
over-severe,
over-slack,
over-small,
over-soft,
over-stale,
over-stately,
over-timorous,
over-true,
over-vehement,
over-young, etc.
a 1700
over-abstemious,
over-apprehensive,
over-barren,
over-big,
over-bookish,
over-bounteous,
over-careless,
over-circumspect,
over-copious,
over-courteous,
over-coy,
over-distant,
over-exquisite,
over-factious,
over-fellowly,
over-frequent,
over-fruitful,
over-godly,
over-grateful,
over-guilty,
over-haughty,
over-heady,
over-hollow,
over-homely,
over-honest,
over-inclinable,
over-just,
over-lascivious,
over-lawyerlike,
over-laxative,
over-lewd,
over-licentious,
over-lively,
over-logical,
over-loose,
over-malapert,
over-mean,
over-merciful,
over-mild,
over-moist,
over-nimble,
over-obedient,
over-obese,
over-obsequious,
over-open,
over-orthodox,
over-oscitant,
over-peremptory,
over-pervicacious,
over-plain,
over-plenteous,
over-polemical,
over-ponderous,
over-popular,
over-positive,
over-precise,
over-pregnant,
over-public,
over-puissant,
over-ready,
over-resolute,
over-rough,
over-sad,
over-saucy,
over-scrutinous,
over-serious,
over-servile,
over-sick,
over-silent,
over-simple,
over-slavish,
over-slight,
over-slope,
over-solemn,
over-spacious,
over-steady,
over-stiff,
over-sublime,
over-superstitious,
over-sure,
over-terrible,
over-thrifty,
over-tight,
over-uberous,
over-unsuitable,
over-valiant,
over-venturous,
over-voluble,
over-wanton,
over-wary,
over-wayward,
over-wily,
over-woody, and others.
a 1800
over-bashful,
over-diligent,
over-elegant,
over-famous,
over-jealous,
over-judicious,
over-learned,
over-luxuriant,
over-neat,
over-new,
over-notable,
over-pensive,
over-provident,
over-rational,
over-righteous,
over-sanguine,
over-tame,
over-tart,
over-tense,
over-thick,
over-vigorous, and many others.
a 1900
over-clean,
over-complimentary,
over-conscientious,
over-conscious,
over-controversial,
over-fastidious,
over-genial,
over-incurious,
over-ingenious,
over-mellow,
over-particular,
over-patient,
over-prompt,
over-quiet,
over-rapid,
over-squeamish,
over-studious, and others without limit.
20th–c.
over-articulate,
over-concise,
over-dependent,
over-elaborate,
over-fast,
over-friendly,
over-fussy,
over-insistent,
over-keen,
over-obvious,
over-optimistic,
over-pessimistic,
over-picturesque,
over-plump,
over-prolific,
over-sensational,
over-shy,
over-susceptible, etc.
| 1699 Bentley Phal. 240 Mr. Selden was not *over accurate in copying the Inscription. |
| 1598 Drayton Heroic Ep. (1637) 332 By each temptation *over apt to slide. |
| 1975 Christmas Greeting (Rhodes House, Oxford) 6 When dons behave badly, they behave very badly: it is partly the fault of being *over-articulate, though early rearing probably has something to do with it too. |
| 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Pref. 5 All temporall..rewardes were incomparably *ouer basse. |
| 1597 Hooker Eccles. Pol. v. iii. §4 In the Church of God sometimes it commeth to passe, as in *ouer battle grounds, the fertile disposition whereof is good. |
| c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 861 Þey þat nat konne lerned be ne taght By swiche ensaumples..Me þinkeþ, certes, *ouer blynde been. |
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lxi. 455 Oft ða *oferbliðan weorðað ᵹedrefde for unᵹemetlicre onetunga. 1711 J. Greenwood Eng. Gram. 196 Over-blith or (merry). |
| 1633 Ford 'Tis Pity ii. vi, You must forsake This *over-bookish humour. |
| 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. Pref. iii. §10 Men credulous and *ouer-capable of such pleasing errors. |
| c 1806 D. Wordsworth Jrnl. (1941) I. 327 Two beds, with not *over-clean bedclothes. 1818 ‘A. Burton’ Adventures J. Newcome i. 32 The Bed-cloaths, when by daylight seen, They did not fancy over-clean. |
| 1867 Mill Exam. Hamilton's Philos. (ed. 3) p. vii, Some of the writers are..even *over-complimentary. |
| 1940 W. Stevens Let. 30 Aug. (1967) 374 The trouble here is that the lines are *over-concise. 1965 Language XLI. 142 In his desire to be complete..and informative, Kukenheim is over-concise. |
| 1851 H. Melville Moby Dick I. i. 5 Whenever I begin to..be *over conscious of my lungs. |
| 1862 H. Sidgwick Let. 28 Jan. in A. & E. M. Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (1906) 74 It seems smashing, but he loses by being *over-controversial. |
| 1649 Milton Eikon. Wks. 1738 I. 442 In an argument *over-copious rather than barren. |
| 1481 Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 95 *Ouer couetous was neuer good. |
| c 1440 Jacob's Well 144 Þe iiij. fote brede of wose in þis glotony is, for to ete *ouyr-deynte metys. |
| 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. i. Eden 404 When the pencill of Cares *over-deep Our day-bred thoughts depainteth in our sleep. |
| 1975 New Yorker 21 Apr. 127/2 We fought the war for them and made them *overdependent on air support. |
| 1711 Shaftesbury Charact. (1737) III. 30 The very reading of treatises..of melancholy has been apt to generate that passion in the *over-diligent and attentive reader. |
| 1931 A. Esdaile Student's Man. Bibliogr. vi. 198 Incised bindings..also became *over-elaborate, especially in Germany. |
| 1634 Milton Comus 359 Peace, brother, be not *over-exquisite To cast the fashion of uncertain evils. |
| a 1591 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 486 Hence, *over-faint, or over-full; Too-pined, or too-plentiful. |
| 1934 Webster, *Overfast. 1949 R. Blesh Shining Trumpets ii. 41 Overfast tempos did not appear in Afro-American music until very recently. |
| 1819 Shelley Cenci Pref., An *over-fastidious and learned choice of words. |
| 1626 Donne Serm. lxxviii. 691 That is by not being *over-fellowly with God, not over homely with places and acts of Religion. |
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 136/1 *Ouer felon and cruelle tyraunt hast thou noo shame. |
| a 1600 Praise of Measure Keeping (R.), Nor overmeke nor *overferce he was. |
| 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 77 The whyche dede specialy yn a byshoppe, was *ouerfowle and abhomynable. |
| a 1625 Fletcher Fair Maid Inn i. i, You are Observ'd..to be *over-frequent In giving or receiving visits. |
| 1939 R. Campbell Flowering Rifle vi. 142 In their own tanks they have to be locked up As in a box an *over-friendly pup. 1962 E. Godfrey Retail Selling & Organization xii. 131 Personal comments and an over-friendly manner also amount to discourtesy. 1974 N. Freeling Dressing of Diamond 135 Richard asked..whether I'd perhaps let myself get over-friendly with Colette. |
| 1668 Dryden Ess. Dram. Poesie (R.), The labour of rhyme bounds and circumscribes an *over-fruitful fancy. |
| 1962 Times 16 Feb. 15/2 The ballet-boyish treatment of the pirate chorus is new, and inclined to look *over-fussy. |
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 194 He hym selfe hath bene *ouer-gentle to hym. |
| 1754 H. Walpole Lett. (1846) III. 80 You are *over-good to me..in..telling me. |
| 1587 Golding De Mornay xi. 150 A manifest guyle, or at leastwise an *ouergrosse ignorance. |
| 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) VI. 381 For *over⁓huge familiarite betwene hir and the bischop Vercellense. |
| 1871 R. Ellis Catullus lxxviii. 5 An *o'er-incurious husband. |
| 1858 Bagehot Coll. Works (1965) II. 70 It would be *over-ingenious to argue..that he had no peculiar interest in young ladies in general. 1977 A. Wilson Strange Ride R. Kipling iv. 208 The over-ingenious method of Kipling's narration. |
| 1915 D. H. Lawrence Let. 26 Feb. (1962) I. 323, I wish you'd tell me when I am foolish and *overinsistent. 1977 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 13 Oct. 35/2 The slightly overinsistent Ciceronianisms here draw attention to themselves. |
| 1934 Webster s.v. Over- 6, *Overkeen. 1959 I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. x. 181 The word ‘sap’..at Eton is primarily used to castigate someone who is over-keen on his work. 1977 J. Bingham Marriage Bureau Murders x. 130 A girl in trouble with an over-keen lover. |
| 1592 G. Harvey Four Lett. Wks. (Grosart) I. 200 The Grecians generallie were *ouer-lightheaded. |
| 1641 Milton Animadv. iii, They have..thought him, if not an *over⁓logical, yet a well-meaning man. 1920 W. R. Inge Truth & Falsehood in Relig. 19 Exclusive intellectualism in religion..commits us to an over-logical scheme. 1966 Eng. Stud. XLVII. 299 Occasionally Williams seems to make Shakespeare over-logical. |
| 1832 Tennyson Lotos-Eaters 78 The full-juiced apple, waxing *over-mellow. 1930 Wyndham Lewis Let. 30 July (1963) 190 Joyce is like an over-mellow hot-house pear. |
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. Induct. i. 137 Haply my presence May well abate the *ouer-merrie spleene. |
| c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. ix. heading, Perellis that mey come to the Kyng by *ouer myghtye subgettes. 1887 W. Morris tr. Homer's Odyssey i. x. 188 There was one Elpenor, the youngest;..In war not over-mighty. 1920 G. Robinson David Urquhart 11 The ephemeral predominance of an over-mighty subject. 1950 Catholic Times 17 Feb. 6/3 Some will perceive first the dangers of the Overmighty State. 1966 Economist 15 Jan. 170/3 Officialdom is also angry with the overmighty bishops for taking a political initiative without consulting the government. 1978 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXVI. 212/2 Monopolistic bodies have a tendency to become over-mighty. |
| 1885 W. B. Yeats in Dublin Univ. Rev. June 111/2 Cease! no more! Thou hast an *over-nimble tongue. |
| 1925 I. A. Richards Princ. Lit. Crit. xxxv. 287 If to some readers parts of it appear unnecessary—either irrelevant, in the one case; or *over-obvious in the other—I have nothing to add. 1951 Koestler Age of Longing ii. iv. 243 Not to mention such over-obvious facts as the disparity in the number of divisions. |
| 1953 Encounter July 48/1 If The Tempest is over-pessimistic and manichean, The Magic Flute is *over-optimistic and pelagian. 1976 Broadcast 29 Mar. 4/1 Over-optimistic predictions of BBC income in the coming year. |
| 1861 Dickens Gt. Expect. xvii, I am not *over⁓particular. |
| 1599 Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 130 The dreames..of some *over-passionate desires. |
| 1881 ‘Mark Twain’ Prince & Pauper 137, I like not much bandying of words, being not *overpatient in my nature. |
| 1624 Donne Serm. ii. 16 Be not overvehement *Overperemptory. |
| 1934 Webster, *Overpessimistic. 1953 Over-pessimistic [see over-optimistic above]. |
| 1938 L. MacNeice Mod. Poetry 10 His [sc. Housman's] hanged man, his soldiers, are *over-picturesque. |
| 1592 Nashe Four Lett. Wks. (Grosart) I. 193 Whilest I am be⁓moaning his *ouer-pitteous decay. |
| 1561 J. Daus tr. Bullinger on Apoc. (1573) 111 b, Exceedingly *ouerplentifull was this darnell throughout the vniuersall church. |
| 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xiii. 300 Hightower leans there..in the August heat, oblivious of the odor in which he lives—..that odor of *overplump desiccation and stale linen as though a precursor of the tomb. |
| 1599 Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 102 This *over-politick and too wise Order. |
| 1644 Milton Education §1 An unfit and *over-ponderous argument. |
| 1684 T. Burnet Th. Earth ii. To Rdr., The greatest fault..is to be *over-positive and dogmatical. |
| 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. x. §14 The priuate intents of men *ouer-potent in the Commonwelth. |
| 1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers 179 Those *over-prolific white mice. |
| 1597 Ibid. v. xlvi. §3 Rash, sinister, and suspitious verdits, whereunto they are *ouer-prone. 1976 N. Freeling Lake Isle viii. 51 His ma..was overprone, maybe, to well-meant advice about bringing up the children and such. |
| 1828 Lights & Shades II. 184 An old *over-provident housekeeper. |
| 1848 Mill Pol. Econ. I. ii. xi. 413 Where a labouring class..refrain from *over-rapid multiplication, the cause..has always hitherto been, either actual legal restraint, or a custom of some sort [etc.]. 1964 Ann. Reg. 1963 263 Credit also became tighter, and full employment created the conditions for an over-rapid rise in wages and salaries. |
| 1628 O. Felltham Resolves (ed. 3) xcvii. 283 And yet there are, that are *over-ready in the wayes of pleasing, and labour. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia ix. vi, We are all over-ready..to blame others. 1859 Bagehot Coll. Works (1965) II. 114 We may seem to make unusual criticisms, and to be over-ready with depreciation or objection. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 24 Mar. 2/3 They may be gazing on the..over-ready-to-burst chestnut-buds. |
| 1791 ‘G. Gambado’ Ann. Horsem. ix. (1809) 105, I suspected my Divine was none of the *over-righteous. |
| 1633 Ford Broken H. ii. i, She is so *over-sad. |
| 1959 Times 3 Sept. 13/2 He is sometimes *oversensational and has tried to stuff too much into one book. |
| 1668 H. More Div. Dial. v. xvii. (1713) 464 To unbewilder some *over-serious Souls. |
| 1586 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. (1594) 559 It falleth out so, that an *over-severe magistrate becommeth odious. |
| 1939 L. MacNeice Autumn Jrnl. xi. 46 *Over-shy at times, morose, defeatist. |
| a 1600 Hooker Eccl. Pol. vi. v. §7 Men are commonly *overslack to perform this duty. |
| 1616 Hieron Wks. I. 586 *Ouer-slight, too loose, and superficiall. |
| 1581 Campion in Confer. i. (1584) F iv b, The print was *ouer small. |
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xvi. 49 Here sauce was *ouere soure and vnsauerliche grounde. |
| a 1300 Cursor M. 27999 If þou..loked wit *ouur stedfast sight. |
| 1671 Milton P.R. ii. 142 Perswasion *over-sure. |
| 1934 Webster, *Oversusceptible. 1966 Eng. Stud. XLVII. 286 The connection..is made by the over-susceptible sensibility of Emily. |
| 1589 Nashe Pref. Greene's Menaphon (Arb.) 14 Their *ouertimerous cowardise. |
| 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxv. §16 We have by *over-true experience been taught how often..the light even of common understanding faileth. |
| 1627 Drayton Miseries Q. Margaret Wks. 1753 II. 400 The Lord Lisle his *over-valiant son. |
| a 1637 B. Jonson tr. Horace Art of Poetrie 358 And nere the hall reherse Their youthfull tricks in *over-wanton verse. |
| 1614 Raleigh Hist. World v. ii. §3 The one being so *over⁓wary, and the other so hasty. |
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 298, I am therfore So *overwroth in al my thoght. |
b. with
pres. pples., forming
ppl. adjs.; as over-abounding, etc.; also,
over-bragging,
over-boasting,
over-dazzling,
over-demanding,
over-depressing,
over-exciting,
over-itching,
over-laughing,
over-nipping,
over-pressing,
over-refining,
over-soothing,
over-sparing,
over-staring, etc. (Can be formed at will.)
| 1576 Turberv. Venerie 93 Those *ouerbragging bluddes Amusde your mynde. |
| 1707 Norris Treat. Humility ii. 20 The *over-dazzling glory of their own perfections. |
| 1949 M. Mead Male & Female iii. 74 Too much emphasis upon the assertive demanding aspects of the mouth may build a female picture that is over-active, *over-demanding, and threatening. |
| a 1600 Hooker Serm. Pride Wks. 1888 III. 610 Shake off that *over-depressing heaviness. |
| c 1400 Rule St. Benet (E.E.T.S.) 14/31 Bidis þat ye ne sal noght be *ouir-laȝand. |
| 1586 J. Hooker Hist. Irel. in Holinshed II. 104/2 Albeit their wether were bitter and *ouernipping. |
| 1893 Harper's Mag. Aug. 335/1 The finding..such a palpable motive as revenge against an *overpressing and clamorous creditor tipped the balance. 1940 Dylan Thomas Portrait of Artist as Young Dog 122 And I never felt more a part of the remote and overpressing world, or more full of love and arrogance and pity and humility. |
| 1855 Bagehot Coll. Works (1965) I. 322 The sceptical, *over-refining Toryism of Hume and Montaigne. |
| 1598 J. Dickenson Greene in Conc. (1878) 131 Valeria, whose *ouersoothing humor made her interprete flatterie for truth. |
| 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1638) 338 He was thought *ouersparing vnto himselfe, as well in his apparel as in his diet. |
| a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. (Arb.) 54 Either a slouinglie busking, or an *ouer⁓staring frounced hed. |
| 1647 Clarendon Contempl. Ps. Tracts (1727) 455 Like over-skilful musicians, who by an *over-warbling desire to make the voice not intelligible, are without that vociferation which he expects. |
c. with
pa. pples. in
-ed,
-en, etc., forming
ppl. adjs., as overacted, -civilized, -crowded, -done, -grown, etc. So
over-apprehended,
over-arranged,
over-blessed, (
over-blest),
over-contented,
over-controlled,
over-cooked,
over-cultivated,
over-cultured,
over-dignified,
over-distempered,
over-dubbed,
over-educated,
over-emotionalized,
over-emptied,
over-enamoured,
over-enlarged,
over-expanded,
over-formed,
over-franchised,
over-handled,
over-inflated,
over-inked,
over-interested,
over-jaded,
over-mechanized,
over-nourished,
over-offended,
over-oiled,
over-packed,
over-padded,
over-pampered,
over-perfumed,
over-polished,
over-qualified,
over-ravished,
over-reserved,
over-restrained,
over-schematized,
over-sensitized (also as
n.),
over-sophisticated,
over-speculated,
over-spiritualized,
over-structured,
over-stuffed,
over-sugared,
over-swilled,
over-tamed,
over-tossed,
over-twisted,
over-vitrified,
over-womanized,
over-wrested, etc. (Unlimited in number.)
| 1663 Boyle Usef. Exp. Nat. Philos. ii. App. 347 By the *over-apprehended unpleasantness of the smell. |
| 1924 R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm 148 She was after all only saying the same thing in French, when a frail, fair, *over-arranged lady kept her waiting in the glove department of the Bon Marché. 1956 G. Coulter in M. T. Williams Art of Jazz (1960) 167 Most of these bad performances take place in an over-arranged, be-violined setting. 1977 New Musical Express 12 Feb. 10/5 We hated over-arranged stage acts and gimmicks constructed just to go with one particular piece of music. |
| 1964 M. Argyle Psychol. & Social Probl. ix. 123 Anxiety neurosis is an extreme case of the *over-controlled personality resulting from a strict upbringing. 1968 J. S. & B. M. Bruner in Internat. Jrnl. Psychol. III. 239 In early human growth, the initially well-organized systems seem to be predominantly of the automatic or ‘overcontrolled’ type, as with breathing, swallowing, and initial sucking. |
| 1868 W. James Let. 5 Apr. in R. B. Perry Tht. & Char. W. James (1935) I. 268 The cool acceptance by the bloody old heathens of everything that happened around them [etc.]..would all make their society perfectly hateful to these *overcultivated and vaguely sick complainers. 1970 S. L. Barraclough in I. L. Horowitz Masses in Lat. Amer. iv. 138 Erosion of overcultivated hillsides is prevalent. |
| 1643 Milton Divorce Ded., Wks. (1847) 122 To put a garrison upon his neck of empty and *over-dignified precepts. |
| 1650 B. Discolliminium 50 Our late *over-dubb'd Justices of Peace, and under-bred Committee-men. |
| 1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art iii. 52 Plato..thinks that the new art of the decadence is the art of an over-excited, *over-emotionalized world. |
| 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary ii. (1625) 22 To shroud their lauish and *ouer⁓emptied expence, by whatsoeuer kinde of lucre. |
| 1742 Young Nt. Th. v. 992 Some, *o'er-enamour'd of their Bags, run mad. |
| 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. xi. §6 With pressed and heaped and euen *ouer-inlarged measure. |
| 1965 H. J. Habbakuk in Glass & Eversley Population in Hist. vii. 157 These epidemics..cannot have been a Malthusian punishment inflicted on an *overexpanded population. |
| 1647 Ward Simp. Cobler 51 *Over-franchised people are devills with smooth snaffles in their mouthes. |
| 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 770 You will fall againe, Into your idle *ouer-handled theame. |
| 1934 E. Pound Eleven New Cantos xxxiii. 14 The meeting decided we were *over-inflated. 1964 W. G. Smith Allergy & Tissue Metabolism i. 3 The post mortem picture shows over-inflated lungs. a 1974 R. Crossman Diaries (1975) I. 585 The economy was over-inflated now, we needed to take some of the heat out and to drive a little of the employment out of it. 1978 New York 3 Apr. 71/2 His reputation is overshadowed..by that of Sir Edward Elgar, on whose inflated scores a grossly overinflated revival is now being perpetrated. |
| 1967 Karch & Buber Offset Processes viii. 281 A heavy flow of ink will cause *over-inked copy resulting in scum. |
| a 1744 Pope Let. Mrs. Blount in Ayre Mem. (1754) II. 56 Methinks, it shews an *over-interested Affection to be sad, because she has left us to better her Condition. |
| 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado (1878) 49 May you liue, Till you haue nought to take, nor none to giue, For your *ore-iaded pleasure. |
| 1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 1 Mar. 135 (Advt.), If you haven't got a Lundell today, you're *overmechanised. 1977 Listener 20 Oct. 517/2 It provides.. a record..of what happens when a lumpish, over-mechanised and wrongly-trained army..meets a lightweight but adept Asian guerilla force in its own country. |
| 1931 H. Read Meaning of Art ii. 94 ‘Barock’ with its dark and loaded sound implying well the heavy, swollen, *over-nourished forms that must be urged into movement to make their impression. |
| 1712 Steele Spect. No. 266 ¶1 Will. Honeycomb calls these *over-offended Ladies, the Outragiously Virtuous. |
| 1957 E. Pound tr. Rimbaud 13 A woman's head with brown *over-oiled hair. |
| 1938 L. MacNeice Mod. Poetry i. 4 Reaction from this poetry, which they felt to be priggish or pontifical or merely dull and *overpadded. |
| 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. iii. 17 They play the *ouer⁓pampered Iades which fall to kicking against their maisters. |
| 1857 Bagehot Coll. Works (1965) II. 28 An *over-perfumed softness pervades the poetry of society. |
| 1938 H. Nicholson Let. 22 Apr. (1966) 337 An ex-diplomatist with those *overpolished manners, that boulevard extérieur elegance, which always faintly annoys me. 1957 Manvell & Huntley Film Music iv. 180 The lighting cameraman may be concerned with a range of problems, from the over-polished console of an electric organ to the number of arcs required to illuminate the Royal Albert Hall. |
| 1968 N.Y. Times 3 Feb. 19/5 It is often hard to get the message across to personnel men ‘who make points hiring *over qualified people for less than they're worth’. 1969 Time 28 Mar. 41 Applications are flooding colleges across the country. The problem is how to cull the lucky few from the over-qualified many. 1977 Times 19 Aug. 6/3 The unemployed PhD.., the over qualified school-leaver, have already brought home..the consequences of..rising unemployment and rising qualifications. |
| 1594 Nashe Terrors of Nt. Wks. (Grosart) III. 268 Too much sodaine content and *ouer-rauished delight. |
| 1688 Ld. Delamere Wks. (1694) 21 You ought not to be *over-reserved to any..Company. |
| 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xlviii. §11 An *ouer-restrained consideration of prayer. |
| 1962 U. Weinreich in Householder & Saporta Probl. Lexicogr. 35 *Over-schematized though it may be, ad hoc intralinguistic considerations suggest [etc.]. 1965 Language XLI. 504 Rigid, overschematized synchronic analysis. |
| 1926 E. Hemingway Sun also Rises xiv. 154, I read the Turgenieff..in the *oversensitized state of my mind after much too much brandy. 1965 Punch 17 Mar. 397/2 This double disability may at first sight seem hard on the over-sensitised. 1975 New Yorker 26 May 18/2 Blow-up..An over-sensitized and wildly misaccented account of the mod, mad world of London, 1966. |
| 1918 *Oversophisticated [see film fan s.v. film n. 7 c]. 1971 Guardian Weekly 10 Apr. 14/4 An overdeveloped oversophisticated country. |
| 1971 D. Potter Brit. Eliz. Stamps xv. 163 Prices began to rise on all sides. Only the *overspeculated commemoratives failed to make progress. |
| 1951 S. Spender World within World iii. 118 With him I escaped to some extent from the *over-spiritualized, puritan, competitive atmosphere in which I had been brought up. |
| 1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 18, I find to my perhaps *over-structured horror that I rather enjoy the high-pressured rubber of bridge. 1971 Nature 27 Aug. 591/1 The organization that has resulted from all the wrangles and compromises is over-structured. |
| 1906 Westm. Gaz. 15 Aug. 4/2 No better corrective of their *over-sugared literature, with its artistic embellishment, could be suggested than Mary Wollstonecraft's unflattering plain-dealing. 1968 Daily Tel. 17 Dec. 13/7 Much of this [Amontillado] sold here tends to be rather flat and over-sugared. |
| 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 186 Like *over-swilled voters at an election. |
| 1782 Wedgwood in Phil. Trans. LXXII. 306 At some times an unvitrified mass, and at others an *over-vitrified scoria. |
| 1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie V. vii. (1891) 105 This *over-womanized woman might well have bewitched him. |
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 157 Such to be pittied, and *ore-rested seeming He acts thy Greatnesse in. |
d. with
adjs. in
-ed from
ns. (
= provided with too much, or too many, of what is denoted by the
n.); as
over-ambitioned,
over-banked,
over-brained,
over-commentaried,
over-garrisoned,
over-hopped (ale),
over-leisured,
over-melodied,
over-mettled,
over-muscled,
over-officered,
over-provendered,
over-renneted (cheese),
over-sorrowed,
over-timbered,
over-tongued,
over-weaponed, etc. (Can be formed at will.)
| 1661 Boyle Style of Script. 175 Out of a Criminal fondnesse of the *over-ambition'd Title of a Wit. |
| 1930 Times 27 Mar. 21/2 The Port of Karachi..is considerably *over-banked. 1966 Economist 18 June p. xxxiii/1 It has reduced its branches in Scotland, which is more overbanked than England. |
| 1650 B. Discolliminium 17 *Over-brain'd Burrow-headed Men, restlesse in studying new things. |
| 1888 Froude Eng. in W. Indies 357 If she [England] decides that her hands are too full, that she is *over-empired and cannot attend to them. |
| 1572 J. Jones Bathes Buckstone 10 Meane Ale, neyther to new, nor to stale, not *ouerhopped. |
| 1640 Bp. Hall Chr. Moder. (ed. Ward) 30/2 An *overleisured Italian hath made a long discourse, how a man may walk all day through the streets of Rome in the shade. |
| 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) IV. 136 The fractured harness of an *over-mettled horse. |
| 1956 H. Gold Man who was not with It (1965) ix. 74 His weary *overmuscled body. 1977 Gay News 7–20 Apr. 23/1 No, I don't like that, over-muscled... I do like people who keep their bodies in shape though. |
| 1641 Milton Prel. Episc. 27 Reducing into order their usurping and *over-provendered episcopants. |
| 1643 ― Divorce Pref. (1851) 18 The much wrong'd and *over⁓sorrow'd state of matrimony. |
| 1674 Petty Disc. Dupl. Proportion 46 If the Ship of 50 Tuns were not *over⁓timbered. |
| 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden Wks. (Grosart) III. 134 Wherein he..so farre outstrips *ouer-tunged Beldam Roome. |
| 1593 ― Four Lett. Confut. ibid. II. 214 His inuention is *ouerweapond. |
29. With substantives.
(Of these
OE. shows examples under b, c, d;
e.g. oferǽt,
oferdrync,
ofersprǽc;
oferbiternes,
oferetolnes,
oferséocnes;
ofercræft,
oferield,
oferlufu,
ofernéod,
ofer{yacu}ð.)
a. Verbal
ns. in
-ing, from
vbs. in
over- (27), or formed independently by prefixing
over- to
ns., as overabounding, -crowding, -doing, -feeding;
over-aggravating,
over-belling,
over-boasting,
over-caring,
over-cleaning,
over-cockering,
over-deeming,
over-descanting,
over-drugging,
over-farming,
over-fasting,
over-judging,
over-liking,
over-meddling,
over-packaging,
over-packing,
over-padding,
over-pinching,
over-planning,
over-ploughing,
over-pruning,
over-revving,
over-soiling,
over-striving, etc. (Unlimited in number.)
| a 1639 W. Whately Prototypes ii. xxiv. (1640) 12 An *over-aggravating of faults to make ourselves seem no children. |
| 1575 Turberv. Faulconrie 245 The *overbelling of a falcon puts hir to a greater payne and trouble than needes. |
| 1630 Conceits, Clinches (1860) 40 A cobler newly underlayd Here for his *overboasting. |
| 1938 Belloc Sonnets & Verse 39 Believe in none and die of *over-caring. |
| 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. xl. 238 Learne that this *ouercockering is wicked. |
| 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus ii. 6 These ouerweenings and *ouerdeemings of youth. |
| 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. vii. i. §32 *Over-descanting with wit, had not become the plain song, and simplicity of an holy style. |
| 1868 A. B. Garrod Materia Medica (ed. 3) 375 Much discredit has been thrown upon the whole subject of the medicinal treatment of disease by the practice of indiscriminate prescribing and *over-drugging. 1946 Nature 23 Nov. 733/1 In his keen observation, in his reflexion and deductions, and in his dislike of over-drugging, More had all the endowments of a wise physician. |
| 1943 J. S. Huxley TVA vi. 33 *Over-farming was not the only exploitation. |
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §831 *Over-fasting doth (many times) cause the Appetite to cease. |
| 1640 Bp. Reynolds Passions xxvii, The overflowing of their fears seems to have been grounded on the *overjudging of an adverse power. |
| 1597 J. Payne Royal Exch. 6 To increase your..longinge vpwards, and to decrease all *over⁓lyking here beneathe. |
| 1861 Mill Repr. Govt. iv. 82 A government..required to hold its hands from *over-meddling..is not to the taste of such a people. |
| 1972 Computers & Humanities VII. 81 Rarely has the sociology of knowledge provided such an obvious example of technology shaping the formulation of research conception as in the *over-packaging of most social science statistical analysis. |
| 1967 Karch & Buber Offset Processes vii. 262 Repeat until satisfactory, but avoid *overpacking. |
| 1962 Economist 8 Sept. 925/1 Wasteful *overpadding of junior executive posts. |
| a 1591 H. Smith Wks. (1866) I. 30 Her *overpinching at last causeth her good housewifery to be evil spoken of. |
| 1974 T. P. Whitney tr. Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipel. I. i. x. 393 To defend quality..amid the general uproar about quantity, planning, and *overplanning. 1977 Times 16 Feb. 15/5 The country has suffered from intensive over-planning. |
| 1976 F. Greenland Misericordia Drop i. v. 39 After some predictable *over-revving with the clutch out, they were off. |
| 1959 Times 12 Jan. 11/3 It is advisable to avoid *over-soiling and consequent hard rubbing. |
b. Nouns of action or condition, formed from
vbs., or from
ns. belonging to
vbs., or on the type of such. These have often the same form as the
vb. or a modification of it, as
overcharge, overissue,
over-speech; or such endings as
-ion,
-ment,
-ure,
-nce,
-age,
-ice, as overaction, -excitement, -payment, -exposure, -abundance, -confidence, etc. So
over-abuse,
over-blame,
over-broil,
over-claim,
over-concern,
over-control,
over-demand,
over-discharge,
over-drain,
over-exercise,
over-ornament,
over-recovery,
over-self-esteem,
over-stress,
over-worry;
over-accentuation,
over-accumulation,
over-addiction,
over-aspiration,
over-assumption,
over-attention,
over-classification,
over-consumption,
over-decoration,
over-devotion,
over-distension,
over-dramatization,
over-exaltation,
over-expansion,
over-expression,
over-extension,
over-flexion,
over-imitation,
over-importation,
over-inflation,
over-interpretation,
over-lactation,
over-laudation,
over-legislation,
over-moralization,
over-multiplication,
over-nutrition,
over-organization,
over-ornamentation,
over-provision,
over-regulation,
over-repletion,
over-representation,
over-secretion,
over-sophistication,
over-speculation,
over-tension;
over-attachment,
over-commitment,
over-enrichment,
over-involvement,
over-treatment;
over-expenditure,
over-rapture;
over-insistence,
over-influence,
over-reliance;
over-drainage;
over-service, etc. (Unlimited in number.)
| 1907 R. Fry Let. 11 Jan. (1972) I. 280, I find even in Dürer's portrait of himself here a certain *over-accentuation, a self-consciousness. |
| 1867 M. Arnold Celtic Lit. 177 Her *over-addiction to the Ilissus. |
| 1928 I. C. Ward Phonetics of English xiii. 115 In order to cure *over-aspiration, it is necessary to tell the pupil to make the contact firm and the release vigorous. 1964 Crystal & Quirk Syst. Prosodic & Paralinguistic Features Eng. iii. 38 Voice qualities... Over-aspiration (excessive pressure being released as compared with normal articulation) particularly noticeable on vowels, and on those consonants where there is normally little aspiration. |
| 1871 R. Ellis Catullus xxix. 6 Shall he in *o'er-assumption, o'er-repletion, he Sedately saunter every dainty court along? |
| 1833 J. H. Newman Arians i. i. (1876) 21 An *over-attachment to the forms. |
| 1874 Tennyson Merlin & V. in Wks. VI. 12 Of overpraise and *overblame We choose the last. |
| 1597 Middleton Wisd. Solomon ix. 18 The one doth keep his mean in *overbroil. |
| 1880 Muirhead Gaius iv. §53 There is *over-claim in respect of amount. |
| 1955 Bull. Atomic Sci. Apr. 127/3 In other defense activities it is undoubtedly true that *overclassification is the rule. 1961 Lancet 26 Aug. 497/1 He was..a little bit impatient with the fussy over-classification that was coming into vogue in his specialty. |
| 1964 Y. Malkiel in Archivum Linguisticum XVI. 14 Undercommitment versus *overcommitment. |
| 1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. Pref. (1875) 13, I thought this *over-concern a little unworthy. |
| 1934 Webster, *Overconsumption. 1974 Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 15 Nov. 1/6 The Norwegian delegation is pushing a conference resolution stating that overconsumption impairs the health of the affluent. |
| 1941 O. E. Patton Aircraft Instruments vii. 114 A follow-up mechanism is a necessary part of an automatic control, in order to prevent *overcontrol, which gives rise to oscillations, or hunting, of the aircraft. 1957 J. S. Bruner in Psychological Rev. Mar. 144/2 George Klein's work..suggests that, in general, people who are not able to shift categorization under gradually changing conditions of stimulation tend also to show what he describes as ‘overcontrol’ on other cognitive and motivational tasks. |
| 1813 J. Thomson Lect. Inflam. 45 The pain..depends partly on the *over-distention of the vessels and fibres. |
| 1758 Herald No. 24 (1758) II. 144 Weakened by an incautious *over-drain of the vital moisture. |
| 1973 Sociometry XXXVI. 135 A false fire-alarm went off precisely as the stimulus-subject in a severe condition was screaming from the electrical shock, providing an extremely amusing *overdramatization of an already impactful event. 1976 R. Hill Another Death in Venice i. i. 21 Out there was a young mafioso... No, that was an absurd over-dramatization. |
| 1860 Forster Gr. Remonstr. 76 The supposed enrichment of the country by the *over-enrichment of himself. |
| 1935 Planning III. liii. 5 The legacy of war-time *over-expansion, often in uneconomic locations, and of post-war over-capitalisation is a second [factor]. 1964 E. H. Powell in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. xx. 332 The drive for profit produced a disastrous fluctuation of the business cycle, with periods of over-expansion and prosperity followed by bleak times of contraction and business failure. |
| 1899 W. James Talks to Teachers viii. 75 This ceaseless over-tension, over-motion, and *over-expression are working on us grievous national harm. 1908 Edin. Rev. July 71 That greatest snare of Faber's unquestionable eloquence: over-expression. |
| 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ix. iii. §38 Tell me whether the Ape did not well deserve a whip for his *over⁓imitation therein. |
| 1837 Emerson Misc. (1855) 78 Genius is always sufficiently the enemy of genius by *over-influence. 1966 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Company I've Kept iii. 85 The Scottish public has been..debauched and distorted by English over-influence. |
| 1934 Webster, *Over-insistence. 1953 K. Reisz Technique Film Editing ii. 114 An over-insistence on one aspect of the theme..may..divert the spectator's attention from the main theme. |
| 1965 W. S. Allen Vox Latina Appendix B. 109 His [Erasmus'] conclusions appear to arise partly out of an *over-interpretation of Marius Victorinus. 1968 F. G. Lounsbury in J. A. Fishman Readings Sociol. of Lang. 53 The above..is possibly also an overinterpretation of the facts. |
| 1964 P. Worsley in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. 385 Their problem would not be separateness..but *over-involvement. 1976 Times 20 May 18/7 [Jerry] Brown..has reportedly made himself a pain in the neck by over-involvement in detail and incapacity to delegate. |
| 1836–48 B. D. Walsh Aristoph. 78 note, Every nation has been addicted, more or less, to *over-legislation. |
| 1933 A. N. Whitehead Adventures of Ideas xii. 201 The forgetfulness of this doctrine leads to an *over-moralization in the view of the nature of things. |
| 1931 J. S. Huxley What dare I Think? i. 28 Can he [sc. the biologist], by studying the pest in its original home, discover what are the other species that normally act as checks on its *over-multiplication? |
| 1899 *Overnutrition [see undernutrition s.v. under-1 10 b]. 1936 Discovery Apr. 98/2 While diseases associated with under-nutrition (tuberculosis, etc.) are steadily decreasing here, those associated with good nutrition—not to say over-nutrition—(diabetes, etc.) are on the increase. 1971 New Scientist 25 Feb. 407/1 Enormous problems of malnutrition and overnutrition remain unsolved and untackled. 1976 Sci. Amer. Sept. 40/2 Malnutrition may come about in one of four ways. A person..may be taking in too many calories or consuming an excess of one component or more of a reasonable diet; this condition is overnutrition. |
| 1946 Nature 21 Sept. 392/2 There was no disposition on the part of the delegates to encourage the *over-organisation of such interchange or movement of scientific workers. 1968 C. A. Doxiadis Betw. Dystopia & Utopia 18 In 1959, Aldous Huxley..explains what disasters we should expect because of over-population, over-organization, and brain-washing. |
| 1933 R. Tuve Seasons & Months iv. 188 Poets had come to take delight in *over-ornamentation. |
| 1685 Evelyn Mrs. Godolphin 143 O with what..*over rapture did I hear her pronounce it. |
| 1967 D. Goch in Wills & Yearsley Handbk. Managem. Technol. 148 At an output level of 510,000 there is an *over-recovery of 10,000 × 1s. 0d. = {pstlg}500. |
| 1897 W. P. Ker Epic & Rom. 235 That touch of *over-reflexion and self-consciousness. |
| 1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 575/1 Appointments..were made under the purchase system... Every regimental commission had a fixed regulation price..in addition to which an *over-regulation price, which sometimes even exceeded the regulation price, had sprung up. 1950 A. L. Rowse England of Elizabeth iv. 113 The natural energy, inventiveness, enterprise of the people, that was..not discouraged, thwarted and stifled by over-regulation. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 4 Dec. 10/2 What is really wrong with government overregulation is not that business people find it burdensome and costly, but that its principal victim is the consumer. |
| 1833 J. S. Mill in Monthly Repos. VII. 663 *Over-reliance on our own judgment is one thing, over-reliance on the judgment of the world when in unison with our own, is another. 1961 L. F. Brosnahan Sounds of Language iii. 50 An apparent over-reliance on the spelling as a means of identification of dental fricatives. |
| 1948 Martin & Hynes Clin. Endocrinol. i. 20 Acromegaly... A disease due to *over-secretion of the hormones of the acidophil cells of the pars anterior in adult life. |
| 1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! i. 44 That modern craving—essentially a product of *over-sophistication—for the dark and instinctive that we find in D. H. Lawrence. |
| 1857 J. S. Mill in Coll. Wks. (1967) V. 502 To prevent the Bank, at times when there is a tendency to *overspeculation, from encouraging that tendency. 1866 Ch. Times 19 May, Over-speculation has been checked. 1940 Times 27 Feb. 14/4 The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved the reopening of the stock exchanges at Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao on March 1... The reopening is subject to various restrictions aimed at curbing over-speculation. 1965 G. J. Williams Econ. Geol. N.Z. iii. 23/1 A period of depression resulted from over-speculation. |
| 1923 J. S. Huxley Ess. Biologist i. 55 Whatever *overstress and maladjustment the complexity of modern civilization has brought with it, [etc.]. 1971 Daily Tel. 26 July 11/1 The effect of overstress is cumulative, causing structural weaknesses over a period of time. |
| 1899 *Over-tension [see over-expression above]. |
c. Nouns of quality or state, formed from adjectives, or from
ns. belonging to
adjs., or on the type of these. The endings are such as
-ness,
-ity,
-ty,
-nce,
-ncy,
-acy,
-tude,
-ism,
-ry,
-ure,
-th, as in over-bitterness, -credulity, -anxiety, -indulgency, -length, -height. Other examples are
over-acuteness,
over-cheapness,
over-consciousness,
over-coyness,
over-diffuseness,
over-exactness,
over-expressiveness,
over-keenness,
over-learnedness,
over-lusciousness,
over-preciseness,
over-promptness,
over-proneness,
over-quietness,
over-readiness,
over-righteousness,
over-seriousness,
over-squeamishness,
over-truthfulness,
over-venturesomeness;
over-ability,
over-capacity,
over-complexity,
over-facility,
over-fertility,
over-intensity,
over-loyalty,
over-security,
over-severity,
over-simplicity,
over-susceptibility,
over-variety;
over-diligence,
over-dominance,
over-luxuriance,
over-negligence;
over-brilliancy,
over-complacency,
over-elegancy,
over-frequency;
over-accuracy;
over-gratitude,
over-magnitude,
over-plenitude;
over-individualism,
over-optimism,
over-realism,
over-scepticism,
over-sentimentalism;
over-bravery,
over-knavery;
over-moisture;
over-strength,
over-wealth, etc. (Unlimited in number.)
| 1934 Webster, *Overcapacity. 1960 New Left Rev. May–June 20/1 Under-capacity use of the railways..and over-capacity use of the roads. 1971 New Scientist 8 Apr. 96/1 Industry is currently suffering from some over-capacity following the cutback in the aerospace effort. |
| 1726–31 Waldron Descr. Isle of Man (1865) 40 The *over⁓cheapness renders them frequent. |
| 1911 J. Ward Realm of Ends xv. 337 Only to differentiate this ‘*Over-consciousness’ from all such consciousness as we can conceive is the term ‘the Unconscious’.. applied to it. |
| 1745 W. Ayre Mem. Pope II. 170 Daphne,..she can no longer bear with this *Over⁓coyness of Sylvia to a Lover. |
| 1870 Lowell Among my Bks. Ser. i. (1873) 184 The bias of the former is toward over-intensity, of the latter toward *over-diffuseness. |
| 1639 Fuller Holy War iv. vii. (1840) 189 A great error, and..a neglect in *over-diligence. |
| 1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 1 Mar. 65/1 From a geneticist's point of view in-breeding deterioration is explained by a decrease in those combinations showing *overdominance. 1976 Nature 15 July 227/2 Population geneticists have never agreed on the extent to which over-dominance of fitness—that is, the situation in which the fitness of the heterozygote exceeds the fitness of both homozygotes—is responsible for the maintenance of genetic variability in populations. |
| 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iv. xv. 316 The affected *over-elegancy of such as prayed for her by the title of defendresse of the faith. |
| a 1866 J. Grote Treat. Moral Ideals (1876) 169 In danger of erring on the side of..*over-exactness. |
| 1976 Gramophone Apr. 1598/3, I found a trace of *over-expressiveness in such movements as the second of the Norwegian Melodies and the Sarabande from the Holberg Suite. |
| 1727 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Burning of Land, To abate the *Over⁓fertility caused by the Fire there. |
| 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. cxi. 683 Y⊇ pride or *ouerheaddinesse of y⊇ deceiuers. |
| 1604 Hieron Wks. I. 505 Religion, which..the world is pleased to call *ouer-holinesse. |
| 1640 Fuller Joseph's Coat (1867) 118 Out of an *over-imitativeness of holy precedents. |
| 1858 Bagehot Coll. Works (1965) II. 101 We endure the *over-intensity..of the surrounding misery. 1899 W. James Talks to Teachers viii. 74 Our faces, all contracted as they are with the habitual American over-intensity and anxiety of expression. 1978 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 23 Feb. 30/1 TB was understood, like insanity, to be a kind of one-sidedness: a failure of will or an overintensity. |
| 1677 Baxter Let. in Answ. Dodwell 118 The Lord forgive the Presbyterians their *over-keenness against Sects. |
| c 1611 Chapman Iliad xiii. Comm. 30 A man may wonder at these learned Critics *overlearnedness. |
| 1860 Froude Hist. Eng. xxx. VI. 47 Her chief embarrassment..was from the *over⁓loyalty of her subjects. |
| 1898 G. Saintsbury Short Hist. Eng. Lit. x. i. 671 A certain *over-lusciousness traceable in his [sc. Keat's] earlier work. |
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §693 The *over⁓moisture of the brain doth thicken the spirits visual. |
| 1963 Times 25 Apr. 12/7 If the facts are as stated this is the biggest step towards the controlled release of the energy obtainable from the fusion of heavy hydrogen nuclei since the phase of early *overoptimism represented in Britain by Zeta (Zero Energy Thermonuclear Apparatus). 1976 B. Freemantle November Man ii. 14 Dennison had an aptitude for over-optimism. |
| a 1677 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. 215 A Natural Consequence of the *over-plenitude and redundancy of the Number of Men in the World. |
| 1622 Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 329 The *ouer-precisenes therin may breed a great inconuenience to the Common-wealth. |
| 1643 Sir T. Browne Chr. Mor. i. §33 To strenuous minds there is an inquietude in *over⁓quietness. |
| 1711 Shaftesbury Charac. (1737) III. 262 An *over-regularity is next to a deformity. |
| 1658 Osborn Q. Eliz. Pref., An *over-remissness or excess in Sanctity or Profaneness. |
| 1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. x. 239 She did not know how much selfishness..was at the bottom of her *over-righteousness. |
| 1741 Richardson Pamela I. 222 His *Over-security and Openness, have ruin'd us both! |
| 1697 Collier Ess. Mor. Subj. i. (1703) 184 The *over⁓smoothness of an argument is apt to abate the force. |
| 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) I. 176 An *over squeamishness and nicety of taste, which renders the imagination too delicate. |
| 1684 Burnet Th. Earth ii. 47 Disproportion and *over⁓sufficiency is one sort of false measures. |
| 1596 Prayer by Queen in Liturg. Serv. Q. Eliz. (1847) 666 That no neglect of foes, nor *over-surety of harm. |
| 1843 J. S. Mill Let. 21 Oct. in Coll. Wks. (1963) XIII. 600, I cannot charge myself with any *oversusceptibility in the matter. |
| a 1661 B. Holyday Juvena. 260 They will serve ye up, in an *over-variety, the dainty birds called the fig-eaters. |
d. Various
ns. denoting action, condition, state, quality, or anything subject to degree (often in sense, if not in form, agreeing with those in b or c): as
over-care, -caution, etc.; so
over-ambition,
over-culture,
over-custom,
over-democracy,
over-dogmatism,
over-effort,
over-elaboration,
over-emphasis,
over-faith,
over-force,
over-majority,
over-opinion,
over-plenty,
over-precision,
over-religion,
over-saliva,
over-sorrow,
over-weal, etc.
| 1929 A. N. Whitehead Process & Reality p. xi, Speculative philosophy and *overambition. 1973 Times 18 Oct. 15/3 His career was blighted by over-ambition. |
| 1830 Wordsworth in Chr. Wordsw. Mem. II. 221 Free from..that *overculture, which reminds one..of the double daisies of the garden, compared with their modest and sensitive kindred of the fields. |
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §300 Another Cause of Satiety, is an *Over-Custome. |
| 1901 Chambers's Encycl. VII. 141/2 A frequent *over-elaboration of style and strainedness of wit that fatigues rather than exhilarates. 1940 Mind XLIX. 69 Many readers may feel that there is a danger in mathematical over-elaboration. 1974 tr. Wertheim's Evolution & Revolution i. 72 Phonetic spelling could not be realized in Egypt precisely because of the over-elaboration of the cumbersome hieroglyphic system. |
| 1897 Chicago Advance 17 June 785/2 An itching desire for *over-emphasis. 1912 J. S. Huxley Individual in Animal Kingdom i. 24 By an over-emphasis of the species-individuality of which we are the parts, it is often said that our bodies are only ‘cradles for our germ cells’. 1935 Planning III. xlix. 1 Many of these arguments..are based on a more or less crude over-emphasis of certain aspects at the expense of the whole. 1949 M. Mead Male & Female x. 215 Human children..will make well-balanced but individual selections [of food], compensating one day for an over-emphasis of the day before. |
| 1841–4 Emerson Ess. Ser. ii. vi. (1876) 152 The *overfaith of each man in the importance of what he has to do or say. |
| a 1700 Dryden Meleager & Atalanta 112 His [Jason's] javelin seemed to take, But failed with *over-force, and whizzed above his [the boar's] back. |
| 1628 Earle Microcosm., Scepticke (Arb.) 67 His *ouer-opinion of both spoyls all. |
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiv. 73 *Ouer-plente maketh pruyde amonges pore & riche. |
| 1926 Fowler Mod. Eng. Usage 684/1 That is the logical arrangement, which..is free from any taint of *over-precision. 1952 C. P. Blacker Eugenics 112 It is difficult..to steer a course that shall keep clear of the mudflats of platitude on the one hand, and not come to grief against the rocks of over-precision on the other. |
| 1795 Jemima I. 87 The..opinion, that *over religion, as we called it, shut the door of the heart. |
| 1871 R. Ellis Catullus xxiii. 16 Thee sweat frets not, an *o'er-saliva frets not. |
| 1885 Border Lances 23 Beware lest in thine *oversorrow thou lose the true profit thereof. |
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2901 Mani man, for *ouer-wele, Þam-self can noþer faand ne feil. |
30. With adverbs, simple or derived from
adjs.: as
overmuch,
over-boldly, over-daringly,
over-soon. (A few examples occur in
OE., as
oferswiðe,
ofermódl{iacu}ce.) So
over-fast,
over-nigh,
over-often;
over-casually,
over-cheaply,
over-cheerily,
over-closely,
over-deeply,
over-diligently,
over-honestly,
over-merrily,
over-wantonly, and many others.
| c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. xix. 86 He stondiþ *ouer⁓casuely & like to falle. |
| 1947 Dylan Thomas Let. 20 May (1966) 307 Did you receive the postcard, *overcheerily scribbled with messages? |
| 1909 Westm. Gaz. 15 Apr. 12/2 The loving parent does well not to examine *overclosely into the reasons for this regret. |
| 1606 L. Bryskett Civ. Life 53 Hauing regard not to vse them either *ouer-curstly, or ouer-fondly. |
| 1690 Locke Essay Hum. Und. iii. vii. 228 This part of Grammar has been, perhaps, as much neglected, as some others *over-diligently cultivated. |
| c 1440 York M. xx. 19 To go *ouere fast we haue be-gonne. 1586 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. i. (1594) 676 When he saw the Hebrewes increase over-fast amongst his subjects. |
| 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. 254, I feare indeede..that this is *ouer-generally neglected. |
| 1697 Dryden tr. Virgil, Aeneis Ded. civ, He..left them there not *over-honestly together. |
| 1807 Coleridge Lett., to R. Southey (1895) 523, I did not *overhugely admire the ‘Lay of the Last Minstrel’. |
| c 1530 Crt. Loue 406 See that thou sing not *ouermerely. |
| a 1500 Sir Beues 3304 (Pynson) For he..cam a lytel *ouer-nye. |
| 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. iv. vii. §4 Tertullian *ouer-often through discontentment carpeth iniuriously at them. 1603 B. Jonson Sejanus ii. iv, Which..may By the over-often, and unseasoned use Turn to your loss. 1976 R. Barnard Little Local Murder iii. 38 His sports jackets did not go over-often to the dry cleaner's. |
| 1571 Golding Calvin on Ps. lii. 2 Doeg..behaved himself *overstoutly. |
| 1601 Holland Pliny I. 219 Toying and dallying *ouerwantonly with the king her husband. |
III. Combinations consisting of
over prep. (in any of its senses) with object. These naturally form advbs. and
adjs.; exceptionally they give rise to
ns. and
vbs. As advbs. they are often written as two words, as
over all or
overall,
over board or
overboard.
31. Forming adverbs: as
overall,
overboard,
overcross,
overhand,
overhead,
overland,
overnight,
overseas, etc.; so
overchannel,
overfields,
overhip,
overleg,
overpage,
overshipboard, etc.
| 1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. i. 13 Critic ears not present at the conversation catch an echo of maxims and aphorisms *overchannel. |
| 1585 C. Fetherstone tr. Calvin on Acts xiii. 50 They do coldly and as it were *ouerfields play with God. |
| 1785 Burns Scotch Drink xi, The brawnie, banie, ploughman chiel, Brings hand *owrehip, wi' sturdy wheel, The strong forehammer. |
| 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Jrnls. II. 132 Men and horses, wading not *overleg. |
| 1870 D. G. Rossetti Let. 29 July (1965) II. 893, I send another correction *overpage. 1932 R. A. Cram in Newsletter Mediaeval Acad. Amer. 15 Nov. 3 Over page is a list of a few books recently issued by these publishers. 1970 Daily Tel. 5 Sept. 15 Money-go-round is continued overpage. |
| 1600 Abp. Abbot Exp. Jonah 156 That they had..inducements inough to throw him *overship-boarde. |
32. Forming
adjs.: as
over-age,
overcross,
overground,
overhead,
overhill,
over-knee,
overland,
oversea, etc.; so
over-centre,
over-deck,
over-life-size,
over-ocean,
over-shoulder,
over-winter.
| 1975 Sunday Times 23 Feb. 17/4 McDonnell Douglas designed a rear-cargo door with four electrically-driven ‘*over-centre latches’. They were to close over spools in the aircraft body and pull the door shut against its seal. |
| 1883 Walsh Irish Fisheries 16 (Fish. Exhib. Publ.) Superior speed, extensive *over-deck room, and the removal of the engines and boilers. |
| 1937 Burlington Mag. Mar. 133/2 The little terra-cottas are to the finished, often *over-life-size, sculptures what the drawings are to the big pictures of the same period. Ibid., A finely executed sketch for the over life-size bronze statue of Innocent X. 1955 S. Spender Making of Poem 40 Over-life-size people seen through the eyes of his childhood. 1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iii. 64 A round rug could be worked with one giant over-life-size sunflower as its basis. |
| 1906 Daily Chron. 22 Feb. 3/2 Mr. Raleigh is at some pains to show how those *over-ocean discoveries and adventures acted on the poetry and imagination of their own times. 1946 R. A. McFarland Human Factors Air Transport Design x. 420 In the early stages of overocean flying, an extra station for the navigator has received little criticism. Ibid. 410 (caption) The flight deck of the B-314 flying boat. The photograph shows a typical layout of stations for multiple flight crews employed in long-range overocean flying. 1957 Economist 21 Dec. 1021/2 On the flight deck other qualified Clipper pilots (at least four are on every overocean flight) relieve him. |
| 1955 W. Gaddis Recognitions ii. viii. 674 Some of the guests were leaving, with *over-shoulder looks of last-minute anticipation. 1959 Daily Tel. 22 July 7/1 Air attack ‘over-shoulder’ bombing... There was a spectacular demonstration of ‘over-the-shoulder’ bombing, when projectiles..climb thousands of feet before plunging into the sea while the delivery aircraft flies off at top speed. |
| 1900 Cheney in Eng. Hist. Rev. XV. 38 Doing all the ploughing in the autumn for *over-winter crops. |
33. Forming
ns.: as
over-all,
overall,
over-door, over-mantel, etc.
34. Forming
vbs.: as
overbank,
overhand.