▪ I. ˈover-ˈdry, a.
[over- 28.]
Too dry. So ˈover-ˈdryness, excessive dryness.
| 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. ii. 396 The better so, with a moist cold, to temper Th' one's over-drinesse, th' other's hot distemper. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 500 That brings it [hay] to a rottennesse or ouer-drinesse, which is verie ill for milke. 1626 Bacon Sylva §706 Either by an over-dry heat, or an over-moist heat. 1879 Encycl. Brit. X. 753/2 In extremely frosty weather..they acquire so little moisture that then a difficulty arises from their over-dryness. 1891 W. Schlich Man. Forestry II. 32 Dry Mould..is formed by the decomposition of certain lichens on over-dry soil. 1959 A. H. Nissan Textile Engin. Processes xi. 293 It is then necessary to bring up the water content of the overdry parts by re-moistening them to a uniform and acceptable value. 1962 J. T. Marsh Self-Smoothing Fabrics xiii. 199 If the fabric is not sufficiently dry, then the subsequent mechanical operation is adversely affected; if the fabric is over-dry, then the durability of the finish, but not the initial effect, is adversely affected. |
▪ II. ˌover-ˈdry, v.
[over- 27.]
a. intr. To become too dry, dry up. b. trans. To dry too much, make too dry. Hence over-ˈdrying vbl. n.
| 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. xvii. clxxx. (W. de W.) V vij/2 In grauely londs..the vyne ouerdryeth [Bodl. MS. fordrieþ] and faylleth. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. i. ii. i. i. (1676) 43/1 Buttered meats, condite, powdred, and over-dryed. 1867 K. H. Digby Day on Muses' Hill 146 The subsoil may be overdried. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 657/1 Over⁓drying of wool has to be specially guarded against. Ibid. 657/2 Unless the wool is spread with great evenness..at points where the hot air escapes freely it may be much over-dried. 1959 A. H. Nissan Textile Engin. Processes xi. 293 It has already been demonstrated that overdrying the material before it is allowed to leave the drier consumes disproportionately longer time than drying it to the water content required in use. Ibid., Unless there is close control, manual or automatic, on the uniformity of the final moisture content of the material in all directions, it is necessary to overdry the material so that its wettest part is within drying specification. 1962 J. T. Marsh Self-Smoothing Fabrics iii. 24 For many years the effect of drying has been recognised by the practical dyer in a qualitative manner, and there has been much warning as to the dangers of ‘over-drying’. 1966 A. W. Lewis Gloss. Woodworking Terms 14 Check,..also called ‘honeycombing’; due to over-drying too rapidly in the kiln. |