over-desirousadj.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 132 b/2 What ioye..that they haue in the ouerdesirous syght of our lord.

?1555 Image of Idlenesse viii. 42 As he that hath always thought the pastyme of wooynge to be muche better then the penaunce of weddynge, or and if it myshappen me at any tyme to be ouer desirous of spede therin.

1647 J. Trapp Mellificium Theol. in Comm. Epist. & Rev. 604 Over-desirous of those dainties.

1677 W. Hubbard Narr. Troubles with Indians New-Eng. ii. 45 Some persons that belonged to a Sloop and a Shallop..were over desirous to save some of their Provision.

1739 P. Aubin Lucinda 292 Being not over-desirous of having that renewed to the World, which was the Product of my younger Years, and which I wish may remain for ever in Oblivion.

1848 J. R. Lowell in Writings (1890) iii. 30 Or, if I were over-desirous of earning A repute among noodles for classical learning, I could pick you a score of allusions.

1877 Harper's Mag. Feb. 426/1 I have not been overdesirous of wealth. My ambition was serious and elevated.

1897 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 777/2 They did not appear over-desirous of the public avowal of some hidden and secret tie.

1937 F. D. Brooks & L. F. Shaffer Child Psychol. 140 The parent, overdesirous that the child learn to feed himself properly, may, put great stress upon his doing so with great accuracy.

1978 Rev. in Amer. Hist. 6 319 Oglethorpe was perhaps overfond of both agrarian laws and soldier colonies and overdesirous of military glory from imperial conquests.