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单词 over-
释义

over-prefix

Primary stress is generally retained by the usual stressed syllable of the subsequent element, with a secondary stress on the first syllable of the prefix. However, some nouns carry primary stress on the prefix, such as those at sense 1h(c).
Forms: see over adv., over adj.
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: over adv.
Etymology: < the same Germanic base as over adv. (see cognates at that entry; Old Icelandic also has a number of superficially similar compounds in ofr- , an extended form of of (see over adj.), as ofrlengi (see overlong adv.), ofrligr (see overly adj.), ofrmikill : see over-mickle adj., adv., and n.).Ofer- was already in Old English used in compounds with verbs, as oferclimban overclimb v., ofercuman overcome v., oferdōn overdo v., oferdrincan overdrink v., oferlibban overlive v.; with nouns, as oferealdormann , oferbrū overbrow n., ofermōd , ofersegl , oferslop overslop n., oferwrit , oferlufu overlove n., oferbiternes overbitterness n.; with adjectives, as ofergylden , ofermǣte , ofermōdig overmoody adj., oferblīðe , oferfull overfull adj., ofermicel over-mickle adj.; also in adverbs formed from adjectives, and in derivatives of phrases, as ofersǣlic , ofersǣwisc from ofer sǣ . Some of the Old English compounds are still in use, but the greater part failed to survive into Middle English, and the great majority of existing over- combinations are of later formation, chiefly since c1550, although in some cases compounds that had already existed in Old English and become obsolete were re-formed. The sense of branch 2 resembles Gothic ufar- in, e.g., ufarfulls more than full, and the corresponding verb ufarfulljan to overfill (compare overfull adj.); for parallels in other West Germanic languages compare e.g. forms cited at overdrink v., overeat v., overfill n.1, overfull adj. This sense is found frequently in Old Icelandic in compounds of of (see over adj.) or its extended form ofr- , especially with adjectives, nouns of quality, or nouns of action. Over- is used with adverbial, prepositional, and adjectival force in combination with nouns; with adverbial and prepositional force in combination with verbs; and with adverbial force in combination with adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. Its combinations are therefore exceedingly numerous, and, from the wide range of its meaning, very diverse in character. The chief classes are listed below; 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 noun or an adverb before an adjective. Although usually hyphenated or even written as one word, such combinations are not strictly lexical phenomena; 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 entries 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. Because of the difficulty in saying whether an over- verb recorded chiefly in non-finite forms is truly a compound or simply a syntactically inverted form of a phrasal verb containing over , and likewise whether a noun or adjective with over- should be derived from an over- verb or from a phrasal verb with over , both possibilities are allowed for in many main entries. The position of the stress differs between compounds formed on over- in accordance with the general stress patterns of English. For the original stress of verbal and nominal compounds respectively, and later modifications, see discussion s.v. out- prefix. Where the stress falls on the second element, there is a secondary stress on the first syllable of over- . N.E.D. (1904) offers the following notes on pronunciation. ‘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 2b(a) 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.’ With regard to senses 2b(a), 2b(b), 2b(c), 2b(d), N.E.D. notes as follows. ‘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.’
1. In spatial and temporal senses, and in uses directly related to these.
a.
(a) With verbs, or with nouns forming verbs, in the sense ‘on high, above the top or surface of’. A selection of typical formations is illustrated; see also overbrood v., over-canopy v., overdrop v., overhang v., oversoar v., etc.; in the related sense ‘rising above, surmounting’, as overrise v., overtop v., overtower v.; and in other uses in which the sense of position is a condition or element of other notions, as over-eye v., overjoy v., overlook v., overweep v.The compound verb is equivalent sometimes to the simple verb combined with over adv., as in overlay v., to lay (something) over; or, more frequently, to the simple verb (usually intransitive) combined with over prep., as in overhang v., to hang over (something), overlie v., to lie over or above (something); but in many cases, as overarch v., it is difficult or impossible to distinguish these.
† over-billow v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1814 S. T. Coleridge Let. to J. Murray in Lett. (1895) 626 Any more peccant thing of Froth, Noise, and Impermanence, that may have overbillowed it on the restless sea of curiosity.
a1903 W. E. Henley Spring Winds that Blow in Poems (1921) 202 Till, over-billowing all between Her cheerful margents, gray and living green, It floats and wanders.
over-branch v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbrɑːn(t)ʃ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈbran(t)ʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbræn(t)ʃ/
ΚΠ
1850 E. B. Browning Island xv With trees that overbranch The sea.
1946 C. Fry Firstborn 90 I have grown too tall And keep out the sun, I overbranch the light.
over-cap v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkap/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkæp/
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > position upon > be upon (something) [verb (transitive)]
overlieeOE
ridec1460
to consist on?c1550
overlay1793
over-cap1839
1839 Fraser's Mag. 20 44 The moon, rising with unclouded refulgence, overcapped the crest of eternal forests.
1909 Amer. Naturalist 43 439 A green and white seedling or branch may become either green or white by the growing point becoming overcapped by the one or the other kind of tissue.
1967–8 Pacific Affairs 40 301 This organization, which eventually replaced or over-capped most other student groups, was founded by the efforts of a small group.
over-cluster v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈklʌstə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkləstər/
ΚΠ
1854 Littell's Living Age 18 Nov. 329/2 Beholding with wonder New stars over-clustering the sky.
1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust I. iii. 71 Lo! in a shower Grapes that o'ercluster Gush into must.
1977 D. L. Jensen Role of Cluster Anal. Computer assisted Mass Appraisal 37 Since it is necessary to over-cluster the data into a prespecified number of groups, the reallocative clustering techniques are preferred.
2015 B. Abu-Jamous et al. Integrative Cluster Anal. in Bioinformatics xxiii. 367 SSMCL employs the OPTOC paradigm to over-cluster the dataset to a large number of partitions.
over-crown v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkraʊn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkraʊn/
ΚΠ
1813 E. H. Thurlow Poems Several Occasions 120 Phoebus, that with golden ray..doth over-crown the day.
1894 S. R. Crockett Lilac Sunbonnet 13 The dry, twisted timothy grasses are beginning to overcrown the purple bells of the heather.
1935 in P. G. Brewster Ballads & Songs Indiana 202 Little did he think of the sorrow that overcrowned his head.
over-dome v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdəʊm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdoʊm/
ΚΠ
1869 R. Browning Ring & Bk. IV. xi. 169 Like bubble that o'er-domes a fly.
1891 G. MacDonald Rough Shaking i. 31 I thought how like that veil was to our little life here, overdomed by that boundless foreshortening of space.
a1914 J. Muir in Wilderness World J. Muir (1954) 313 A bear's days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed by the same blue sky.
2008 R. Beard Becoming Drusilla i. 16 I stole the girl's self-inflicted injuries for a novel (‘the backs of her hands were large brown blister-bubbles, over-doming the bones..’).
over-droop v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdruːp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdrup/
ΚΠ
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xiii. f. 170v A bush of heare Dooth ouerdroope my visage grim.
1881 H. James Portrait of Lady II. v. 62 High-walled lanes, into which..blossoming orchards overdrooped and flung a perfume.
a1905 W. Sharp Valley of Pale Blue Flowers in Poems & Dramas (1910) 214 No, I will clasp it close to my heart, overdroop with my hair.
1936 E. Blunden in London Mercury July 232 Passages crooked and slanted, ceilings stooped, And yews with drowsy arras overdrooped The windows of that home.
† over-frown v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1861 M. Arnold Southern Night in Poems 23 There, where Gibraltar's cannon'd steep O'erfrowns the wave.
a1889 W. Allingham Autumnal Sunshine in Laurence Bloomfield (1890) 47 'Twere hard If rampant ruffianism could overfrown All right and rule.
† over-glint v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1897 Westm. Gaz. 17 Feb. 2/3 The crimson and the jacinth tints That over-glint the floe.
over-helm v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɛlm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhɛlm/
[see helm n.1] (now archaic)
ΚΠ
OE Beowulf 1364 Wudu wyrtum fæst wæter oferhelmað.
1895 W. Morris Beowulf xxi, in Coll. Wks. (1910–11) X. 220 The wood fast by the roots over-helmeth the water.
1975 P. P. Pasolini in S. Bondavalli Fictions of Youth (2015) v. 159 A young person who awakes (to culture) today cannot but see me as part of this sort of paternal authority that overhelms him. Well, I don't want to allow that.
over-hover v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɒvə/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈhʌvə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhəvər/
ΚΠ
1793 W. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Iphigenia in Tauris v. 114 Let mercy, like to the holy flame of sacrifice, o'erhover the rude combat of thy breast.
1805 W. Taylor in Ann. Rev. 3 544 Like the star which over-hovered the manger at Bethlehem.
1916 E. Blunden Pastorals 29 A firedrake beckons, with a moving mist around it, And over-hovers pallidly a haggard, stunted gnome.
2004 B. Ames Eighty-sixed 154 His hand overhovers the mouse pad.
† over-leer v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1850 E. B. Browning Wine of Cyprus ii Cyclops' mouth might plunge aright in, While his one eye over-leered.
1851 Internat. Mag. Lit., Art, & Sci. 1 Mar. 475/1 His shoulder overleered By swart Silenus, sly and cunning knave.
† over-place v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1618 J. Sylvester Mysterie of Mysteries in tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Diuine Weekes & Wks. (1621) facing p. 1215 Ouer All things, not ouer-plaç't.
1889 I. C. Russell in 8th Ann. Rep. U.S. Geol. Surv. 1886–7: Pt. 1 384 This is indicated not only by the manner in which the cones overplace and intersect each other.
† over-plumb v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1885 R. L. Stevenson & F. Stevenson Dynamiter iv A range of very tall buildings..overplumbed the villas and their little gardens like a sea-board cliff.
1888 R. L. Stevenson Black Arrow iii. vi. 189 A piece of ruinous cliff..almost overplumbed the deck.
† over-spire v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1858 J. D. Burns Peasant & Poet in Vision of Prophecy 91 The glance of him who lives by Faith, Whose hopes have overspired the cloud of sense.
1892 R. L. Stevenson & L. Osbourne Wrecker xi. 180 Methought she looked smaller than ever, sundry great ships overspiring her from close without.
1900 F. Norris Blix iii Ships innumerable nuzzled at the endless line of docks, mast overspiring mast, and bowsprit overlapping bowsprit.
1916 R. Jeffers Californians 11 High on this far-viewed hill, and over-spired By cypresses, and locked with tangled boughs Of live-oaks and the eucalypts.
† over-stoop v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1833 J. F. Cooper Headsman I. iii. 49 Thou hast the history of the plunge into the canal, by over-stooping to see the Venetian beauty.
1844 E. B. Browning Crowned & Buried iii Altars overstooped By meek-eyed Christs.
1883 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia (rev. ed.) II. vii. 282 Crowning a cliff that overstooped The sea.
over-surge v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsəːdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsərdʒ/
ΚΠ
a1845 T. Hood She is far from Land in Compl. Poet. Wks. (1906) 54 Waves oversurging her, Sirens a-dirgeing her; Sharks all expecting her.
2001 Opera News (Nexis) 1 Sept. 103 Jun Markl conducted passionately, letting the music surge, sometimes letting the brass oversurge.
† over-wave v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
?a1425 (?a1350) T. Castleford Chron. (1940) 20584 (MED) Durand þe flodde alle it resaiues, So þat passande na water ouerwaiues.
1810 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. 29 418 Shall..No golden cloud of praise O'erwave his way?
1856 J. Ruskin Notes Princ. Pict. Royal Acad. No.2. 13 This fragment of grey wall, overwaved by its few ears of corn.
(b) In verbal compounds that appear only to occur as the past or present participle (cf. sense 1a(c)).
† over-band v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1657 G. Daniel Idyllia in Poems (1878) IV. iii. 89 The Lust of Tyrants (over~banded still By hooded Law) carnalls the world at Will.
† over-be v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) 3 Kings vi. 18 With cedre al þe hous with inne forth was cloþed, hauynge his turnuris & his iuncturis forgid & grauyngis ouer-beynge [a1425 L.V. apperynge aboue; L. eminentes].
† over-dangle v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1845 T. Hood in Compl. Poet. Wks. (1906) 53 Cables entangling her,..Blocks over-dangling her.
† over-penthouse v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1631 R. Brathwait Whimzies vii. 56 A broad-brim'd hat or'e-pentising his discontented looke.
† over-shrine v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1563 W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (new ed.) Dk. Somerset sig. Aa.viii Standynge on a ladder, ouershryned wyth the Tyborne, a meete trone for all suche..Trayters.
† over-turret v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. xi, in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) X. 149 The bend O'erturreted by Certosa.
(c)
(i) Forming verbal nouns in -ing (see also overhanging n.); participial adjectives in -ing (see also overhanging adj.).
† over-awning adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. xii. 309 Above the depth four overawning wings..Bore up a little car.
1838 R. Southey Madoc in Poet. Wks. V. 217 Some pitch the tent-pole, and pin down the lines That stretch the o'er-awning canvass.
over-beetling adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbiːtl̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈbiːtlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbidl̩ɪŋ/
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > crag > [adjective] > overhanging
hangingc1330
low-browed1645
over-jutting1770
over-beetling1821
1821 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Oct. 268/2 Milman's part of the cloud was rather overbeetling and stiff in figure, but a magnificent apparition notwithstanding.
1828 W. Sotheby Mont-Blanc in Italy & Other Poems 217 Where at the thunder's awful peal Th' o'erbeetling avalanche bursts, and rocks beneath it reel.
1934 C. A. Smith White Sybil The chill trickle of rills born of the eternal glaciers fell upon him from overbeetling ledges.
2004 C. A. Smith Red World of Polaris 71 Gigantic engines that appeared to use and combine every possible geometric form in their overbeetling bulks of dark stone and burnished metal.
† over-bellying adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1847 H. Miller First Impressions Eng. viii. 138 Seeing in every dark overbellying cloud A vengeful angel.
† over-boding adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1820 Scots Mag. Apr. 330/2 The progress of that heretic, from the obscurity and peace of his infant days, to that overboding extent of power which his name has at last obtained.
1895 H. R. Reynolds in Expositor Nov. 336 The strange and overboding sense of man's life after death.
over-curling adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkəːlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkərlɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1868 Brit. Jrnl. Dental Sci. 11 490 The chief characteristics you should look for in a flask..are—1st, that it should be as nearly as possible a perfect sphere..; there should be no overcurling lip.
1876 H. Melville Clarel II. iii. xxix. 424 When from the rail where lashed they bide The sweep of overcurling tide.
1894 J. Muir Mountains Calif. xi All sweeping forward together with a high, overcurling front.
1912 J. Muir Yosemite iv Far the greater part is at length locked fast in bossy overcurling cornices along the ridges.
2015 R. Naranjo Art of Seamanship x. 309/1 Finally, gravity transforms the steep, overcurling swell into a breaking wave.
† over-greeting adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1850 S. T. Dobell Roman iv, in Poet. Wks. (1875) I. 49 Some lone Egerian grove, Where sacred and o'er-greeting branches shed Perpetual eve.
over-jutting adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒʌtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒədɪŋ/
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > crag > [adjective] > overhanging
hangingc1330
low-browed1645
over-jutting1770
over-beetling1821
1770 J. Armstrong Now Summer is Gone in Misc. I. 155 Th' o'erjutting banks, As long unpractic'd to so steep a view, Seem to look dizzy on the moving pomp.
1806 J. Grahame Birds Scotl. in Lit. Panorama Nov. 249 The eagle, from her eyry on the crag Of over-jutting rock, beholds afar.
1895 N. Amer. Rev. Aug. 142 She has often a long face, a receding forehead, over-jutting brows.
1907 P. MacKaye Sappho & Phaon 56 The top of the curtain is designed as an overjutting tiled roof.
a1963 F. Engleheart Select. of Poetry (1965) 14 My rock, an over-jutting plane, set ages past at just that angle.
overshelving adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃɛlvɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃɛlvɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1812 A. Plumptre tr. H. Lichtenstein Trav. S. Afr. I. 132 It presents the appearance of a high sunken overshelving wall.
1822 W. Herbert Weird Wanderer of Jutland i. i. 14 The nuptial train..near'd that huge o'er-shelving rock Fast by the stream.
1854 N. Amer. Rev. July 111 The river is very beautiful, and the deep gorge in the rocks through which it passes..is wonderfully grand,..solemnly darkened by the overshelving rocks.
1882 Harper's Mag. Aug. 332/1 In others they [sc. cliffs] are formed in far overshelving layers.
1908 Amer. Mag. Mar. 522/1 Catching sight of a scant blue shadow that fell from an overshelving rock, he crept into its meager protection.
† over-swinging adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1859 C. Dickens Tale of Two Cities i. vi. 32 Under the over-swinging lamps.
1899 Overland Monthly Feb. 161/1 A large peninsula of naked, overswinging rock soon became visible to the naked eye.
(ii) Forming participial adjectives in -ed, as overclouded adj.
(iii) Also with adjectives in -ed formed on nouns.
† over-vistaed adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1773 J. Ross Fratricide (MS) vi. 38 Round the grave, O'ervisto'd hight with intermingling sprays.
(d) With nouns, in the sense ‘situated above’ or ‘higher’, or denoting the upper of two (or more) things; see also overbridge n., overbrow n., overcheek n., overpark n., overworld n. Cf. over adj. 1a.
† overcord n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1513–14 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 663 1 long Roppe for the kyln, 4s., et 1 overcorde, 2d.
† over-deyhouse n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1387–8 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1899) II. 314 (MED) Le Overdeyhous.
1421–2 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1899) II. 303 (MED) Pro cariacione feni ad le Overdeyhous, 4 s.
† over-half n. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > upper part
over-endeOE
over-halfOE
overpartya1387
overparta1398
overera1400
upperside1484
upside1611
OE Antwerp Gloss. (1955) 165 Sinciput, oferhealf heafod.
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 1476 The folk with thaire bestaille drye-fote alle ouer it ȝode; For on the over half the Arche [L. in superiori parte arcae] the water no ferthere ranne.
† over-pool n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1519 W. More Jrnl. (1914) i. 87 Item for store yeles a M that wer put in [th]e over poole in [th]eparke of hallow 20 d.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Isa. xxxvi. A By the condite of the ouerpole.
(e) In transferred senses of ‘higher, upper’, esp. in relation to pitch, as overblow v.1, oversound v., overtone n.
b. With the sense ‘above in power, authority, rank, or station’, ‘superior’.
(a) In verbs; see also over-govern v., overlead v., overlord v., overmaster v., overrule v., oversway v., etc.
† over-command v. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [verb (intransitive)] > be superior in authority
rulea1398
predominate1589
over-command1598
over-order1850
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres 123 Distant from all things that might ouer-command the same.
a1600 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie (1648) viii. sig. Vv There is no higher nor greater that can in those causes over-command them.
(b) In agent nouns (see also overruler n., overseer n.); also in other nouns (whether or not derived from or related to verbs), and adjectives (see also overking n., overlord n., over-rule n., overruling adj., oversway n.).
† overchanter n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1535 Goodly Prymer in Eng. sig. S It is the songe of Dauid committed to the ouerchaunter.
† over-chief n. Obsolete rare
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [noun] > those in authority > person in authority > person(s) in high authority
over-chief1853
higher-up1902
1853 J. Stevenson tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. 505 If they should come into the presence of their over-chief.
1903 Publ. Amer. Econ. Assoc. 4 2 The right to exploit definite tracts was allowed to the chiefs by the king or over-chief.
1915 J. Roscoe Northern Bantu xxii. 231 Once a sub-chief is established in office, he pays no taxes because there are no taxes levied in the country by any chief; still, a peasant acknowledges his over-chief by giving him presents of goats, sheep, and, sometimes, a cow.
† over-dignity n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1607 J. Day et al. Trauailes Three Eng. Brothers sig. E1v Though my humillitie (I vow by heauen) Doth not affect that ouerdignitie.
over-god n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəɡɒd/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌɡɑd/
ΚΠ
1844 R. W. Emerson in Dial Apr. 516 They must perish, and there is no over-god to stop or to mollify this hideous enginery that..takes them up into its terrific system.
1886 T. W. Heney Sursum Corda in Fortunate Days 61 Overgod, hear us; this is no god of ours.
1960 K. Rexroth in G. R. S. Mead Fragm. Faith Forgotten (new ed.) p. x There is also a trinity of couples and behind them all an overgod, Baal Shamain, the Lord of Heaven.
over-shepherd n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌʃɛpəd/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌʃɛpərd/
ΚΠ
1854 J. B. Finley Sketches Western Methodism 212 Ready for every position which God..might assign him, he said to the over-shepherds of the Church, ‘Here I am; send me.’
1927 Amer. Hist. Rev. 33 182 In all his dealings he was first of all a priest, ‘the speaking image of a deeply religious over-shepherd’.
1996 R. F. Anderson Lectionary Preaching Workbk. 171 This shepherd/king realized that he needed an over-shepherd.
c. With the sense of inclination to one side so as to lean over the space beneath. In verbs, such as overbend v., overbias v., overlean v., overweigh v. Also in derived and related adjectives and nouns, such as overleaning adj., overleaning n.The cross-reference to a supposed noun overbias at this sense in N.E.D. (1904) may be an error, as no such headword was included, and no evidence for it has come to light.
d. With the sense of passing across overhead, and so ‘away, off’. In verbs, such as overblow v.1, overcarry v., overdrive v., overpass v., etc. Also in nouns and adjectives.
e.
(a)
(i) With the sense of surmounting, passing over the top, or over the brim or edge (also in extended use when used in relation to liquids, with the container as object). In verbs (see also overboil v., overbrim v., overclimb v., overflow v., overwell v.).
overbubble v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbʌbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
a1800 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad xxi, in Wks. (1835–7) XI–XII. 244 The unctuous fluid overbubbling streams On all sides.
a1842 W. Maginn Lord Byron's Combolio Introd., in Misc. Writings (1855–7) II. 159 Let some fame too o'erbubble On his pate, who great trouble (Behold it) hath taken In this catalogue making.
1890 W. E. Gladstone Diary 4 Nov. (1994) XII. 333 He overbubbles with contentment.
1938 Bks. Abroad 12 381/2 Gorky..had no control of his exuberance. His letters, like his early fiction, overbubble.
2016 A. A. Bridges & A. S. Gladfelter in A. S. Gladfelter Septins iv. 64 Be very careful to watch reaction during this time making sure that it does not bubble over. If it starts to overbubble, remove solution from hot plate.
over-burst v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbəːst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbərst/
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (transitive)] > go beyond (bounds)
transcenda1340
exceedc1374
overwenda1375
overpassa1382
passc1390
to pass beyond ——1429
outreacha1568
overlash1581
pretergress1583
outrun1589
overslipa1592
surpass1592
to step over ——1599
outstep?1611
outstrip1612
overrun1612
outpass1635
pose1636
over-burst1856
overact1858
overstride1925
1856 H. Conant Eng. Bible i. 16 Outraged humanity has overburst the bounds of discreet submission.
1957 R. Walters Albert Gallatin xxii. 282 His love for his adopted land overburst his reserve.
(ii) Sometimes used of missing, passing over something without coming into contact with it, as overleap v., overshoot v., etc.
(iii) Also figurative of surmounting or getting over an obstacle, an illness, a calamity, or the like, as overcome v.
(b) Also in derived and related nouns and adjectives (see also overflow n., overflowing adj., oversight n.).
overbubbling n. and adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbʌbl̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈbʌblɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbəblɪŋ/
ΚΠ
a1822 P. B. Shelley Cyclops in Posthumous Poems (1824) 344 O'er bubbling Shall finely cook your miserable flesh.
1896 Godey's Mag. Feb. 158/1 They showed such an over~bubbling of good-nature.
1916 R. H. Fife German Empire between 2 Wars 308 All of which overbubbling enthusiasm of the epic period of the new empire found its classic expression in the..monument to the first emperor on the Schlossplatz in Berlin.
1956 J. T. Shipley Guide to Great Plays 776 The younger brother..is especially well drawn. His youthful overbubbling excitement in love; the ardor with which he pursues his beloved; [etc.].
oversplash n. and adj.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəsplaʃ/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌsplæʃ/
ΚΠ
1888 C. H. Spurgeon Serm. in Voice (N.Y.) 31 May 7/1 A sort of over-splash of the great fountain of mercy.
2002 Coventry Evening Tel. (Nexis) 26 Sept. 14 There are three problems: A leak to the bowl [of the fountain], the oversplash area and a mechanical fault.
f. With the sense of motion forward and down, and hence of overturning, inversion. In verbs, as overbalance v., overbear v., overbeat v., overblow v.1, overcast v., overset v., overthrow v., overturn v., etc. Also in related nouns and adjectives, as overbearing adj., overfall n., overturned adj., etc.
g. With the sense ‘down upon from above’. In verbs, as overcome v., overfall v., overgang v., overgo v., overleap v., overlook v., oversee v., etc.New formations in this sense are hardly found after 1600, although archaic revivals (e.g. overfall v. 1) do occur.
h.
(a) Forming verbs with the sense ‘upon the surface generally, all over, so as to cover (wholly or partly), abound on, or be spread over’; used both with verbs expressing the action of covering, spreading, etc., and with nouns denoting the covering medium, substance, etc. See also overclothe v., overcloud v., overcover v., overglaze v., overgrow v., overheap v., overprint v., etc.
† overbalm v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1851 D. M. Moir Child's Burial v That ‘the joy of grief’ (as Ossian sings) o'erbalm'd the very air.
† over-bepatch v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1657 R. Lovelace Poems (1864) 164 Me thought she look'd all ore-bepatch'd with stars.
† over-black v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1613–18 S. Daniel Coll. Hist. Eng. (1626) 6 [Gildas] ouer-blacks them [sc. the Britons] with such vgly deformities.
† over-blind v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1613 F. Robartes Revenue of Gospel 78 If self-loue and couetousnesse did not ouerblind and entangle the men of this age.
1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. H8v Their Reason ouer-blinded, By the pleasures of the Sence, Hides from them that excellence.
† over-cheer v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos i. sig. B.iiijv His mother..with a roset youth his eies and countnaunce overcheared.
over-darken v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɑːk(ə)n/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɑrkən/
ΚΠ
1574 A. Gilby tr. Test. Twelue Patriarches sig. Diiii If you be ouerdarckened wyth wickednes.
1867 E. Sallesbury Children of Lake iv. 81 A great shade Came creeping down her forehead; there it paused, And hung and overdarkened all her face.
1900 H. James Abasement of Northmores in Soft Side i. 168 The monument that had over-darkened her was reared, but it would be within a week..the derision of intelligent London.
1969 C. White Rembrandt as Etcher I. vi. 163 One might hazard a guess that he felt that he had over-darkened the background, losing the original mysterious atmosphere.
2017 G. Rupp Introd. Ess. in R. E. Davies & G. Rupp Hist. Methodist Church Great Brit. I. p. xv This historical pedigree of so-called ‘Reformers before the Reformation’ was always one-sidedly drawn... It overdarkened the shadows, and to that extent distorted the medieval scene.
overdash v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdaʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdæʃ/
now rare
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Orpharion (1599) 42 Linaments, whereupon this natiue colour was ouer-dasht.
1600 T. Middleton Ghost of Lucrece sig. C5v Lucrece, alas, thou picture of thy selfe, Drawne poore and pale by that old painter time, And ouerdasht by Death that meagre elfe.
1797 F. G. Waldron Virgin Queen ii. iii. 41 The thought of that would make me brave the night, Tho' rent-up rocks 'mid yesty waves o'erdash'd.
1885 Belgravia Feb. 398 Probably Mrs. Inglefield is a little over-dashed with spirit—a trifle too strong, let us say—for every one's taste.
1914 G. A. Edwards Darkness & Dawn ii. xii The further end of the ledge, overdashed with wild jets of spray and stinging drives of brine.
1946 J. Hjejle tr. P. Johnson in Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening Københaven 109 2 The rocky coasts of Bornholm, which in the most places form a wild, torn landscape..which during the violent autumn and winter gales is overrun or overdashed by the surf.
over-dust v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʌst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdəst/
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. iii. 173 And goe to dust, that is a little guilt, More laud then guilt ore-dusted. View more context for this quotation
1872 R. H. Horne Orion (ed. 9) iii. 157 Those Whose feet still plod the earth with hearts o'erdusted.
1999 Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald 15 July 38/1 We found pizza overcooked..and the whole overdusted with salt or seasonings.
2010 Sunday Times (Nexis) 10 Jan. Quaking pudding was a grey custard, overdusted with nutmeg.
over-encrust v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɛnˈkrʌst/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛŋˈkrʌst/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻnˈkrʌst/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻŋˈkrʌst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɛnˈkrəst/
,
/ˌoʊvərᵻnˈkrəst/
(frequently passive)
ΚΠ
1874 A. H. Sayce Princ. Compar. Philol. viii. 304 Concealed and over-encrusted..in the course of generations.
1930 R. J. Priest From Chariot to Car iii. 29 The builders fell into great error in over-encrusting their work with every possible decorative device.
1962 Hansard Commons (Electronic ed.) 28 Mar. 1389 It [sc. the House of Lords] is over-encrusted with ancient pageantry and is becoming a sort of museum piece.
2000 Newsmakers No. 4. 236 Jim Crace in the Times Literary Supplement criticized the book as being ‘over-encrusted with folksy hostility toward the twentieth century, always equating changes with ruin’.
† over-file v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. x The Hals..most exquisitly ouer-filed, and indented with Mosaicall worke.
† over-fling v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1843 D. M. Moir in Blackwood's Mag. Dec. 749 From Ascog's rocks, o'erflung with woodland bowers, With scarlet fuschias, and faint myrtle flowers.
† over-froth v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. viii, in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) X. 269 The natural man may effervesce in ire, O'erflood earth, o'erfroth heaven with foamy rage.
† over-fruit v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1876 R. Browning Nat. Magic i Embowered With—who knows what verdure, o'erfruited, o'erflowered?
† over-gall v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida v. iii. 57 Their eyes ore-galled with recourse of teares. View more context for this quotation
over-gloss v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡlɒs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡlɔs/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈɡlɑs/
ΚΠ
a1811 G. Longmore War of Isles iv. 92 'Twas from that sophistry in power, he drew His fortunes, all o'erglossing with the hue Of misnam'd freedom.
1880 F. T. Palgrave Visions of Eng. 52 Plaudits base Writ to their own disgrace, With casuist sneer o'erglossing works of blood.
1908 M. J. Cawein Woman of World in Poems 151 That lie, overglossed with a modesty borrowed, Assisted my fall and the end was—I fell.
1985 Pop. Sci. Mar. 79/2 Don't over-gloss, thinking the gloss will wear off quickly:..the gloss you see is the gloss you will have for a long time.
2006 T. Schaffert Devils in Sugar Shop 159 Back to the loft to gussy up, glittering their cheeks and over-glossing their puckers in Lee's bedroom.
† over-hurl v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1673 E. Hickeringill Gregory 145 This realm was..overhurl'd with the new modern orthodox.
† over-husk v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1824 T. L. Beddoes Let. 6 Dec. in Wks. (1935) 593 Lost to all German and all humane learning, o'erhusked with sweet dozing sloth.
over-lace v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈleɪs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈleɪs/
ΚΠ
1810 J. Porter Sc. Chiefs II. i. 6 They..gradually descended amid pouring torrents, and gaping chasms overlaced with brambles.
1914 H. Price Poems & Sonnets 190 No thoughts are hers to urge unseemly haste, Her eyelids droop with bluest veins o'erlaced.
2002 Birmingham Post (Nexis) 4 June 11 The violent sizzling of burning meat, overlaced with the gasps of bright-eyed children.
† over-letter v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1827 R. Pollok Course of Time II. vii. 68 O'er-lettered by the hand Of oft frequenting pilgrim.
over-moss v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɒs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɔs/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈmɑs/
ΚΠ
1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 53 Our ships so over~moss't, and brands so deadly blown.
1865 W. J. Linton Claribel & Other Poems 72 My heart this many a day O'ermoss'd with sorrow, like an ancient tomb.
a1967 V. Watkins Still Garden in Coll. Poems (1986) 429 Now..faith disinters Neglected lives oblivion overmossed.
† over-noint v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
?1550 H. Llwyd tr. Pope John XXI Treasury of Healthe (1585) X ij Over noynt the burned place therewith, for it healeth wonderfullye.
† over-prick v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1591 A. Fraunce Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch i. ii. i My flesh's nought but a mark all ouerprickt with her arrowes.
† over-rust v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1535 H. Latimer Serm. 21st Sunday Trinity in Wks. I. 28 How hath this truth over-rusted with the pope's rust?
1870 R. W. Buchanan Bk. of Orm in Compl. Poet. Wks. (1901) I. 261 The treeless hills, O'er rusted with the slow-decaying bracken.
1915 Publishers' Weekly 9 Oct. 1145/1 Tin cans over-rusted the scanty grass.
over-scatter v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskatə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskædər/
ΚΠ
1861 Macmillan's Mag. 4 134/2 I should ask to..overscatter a table-cover with exact likenesses of black bobs.
1998 What's New in Building (Nexis) May 82 Three-component Bimagrip HD was then trowel applied and overscattered with Criggian granules.
† over-scent v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. vii. 371 Over-sented with the fragrant ointment of this Prince's memory.
† over-scourge v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1813 A. Wilson Poems (1876) 103 The blatterin' hail, right fell an' fast, O'erscourg'd my face.
over-scratch v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskratʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskrætʃ/
ΚΠ
1887 R. Browning in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) XVI. 260 There's nobody..o'erscratches A sheepskin more nimbly and surely with ink.
1999 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 30 Apr. b1 The bus windows were so overscratched with graffiti that I could have seen better through the screened windows of the bus from the Twin Towers jail.
over-screen v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskriːn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskrin/
ΚΠ
1906 T. Hardy Dynasts: Pt. 2nd i. ii. 17 Draw down the curtain, then, and overscreen This too-protracted verbal fencing-scene.
1941 J. P. Bishop Interior in Coll. Poems (1975) 99 Through windows crossed by wires and overscreened With shadows.
over-scribble v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskrɪbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskrɪb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1823 W. Tennant Cardinal Beaton iii. i. 84 You may Have time to read your Latin Test'ments through, And over-scribble all the walls with texts.
1999 Evening Standard (Nexis) 21 June 66 So many layers—a slate overscribbled to distraction with history.
over-sculpture v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskʌlptʃə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskəlptʃər/
rare
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-sculpture.
1957 Craft Horizons Feb. 38/2 Designs in U.S. furniture tend to be too self-consciously ‘expressive’, over-severe or over-sculptured.
overseal v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsiːl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsil/
ΚΠ
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Esdras vi. 20 Whan the worlde..shalbe ouersealed, then wyl I do these tokens.
1911 Gas World 2 Dec. 679/1 If they..had the seals too high, they got big waves rushing to and fro, and the pipes would be possibly oversealed and there would be trouble.
1917 T. Hardy Moments of Vision & Misc. Verses 173 The summers had oversealed All mark of them at last.
1982 P. Chaplais Eng. Medieval Diplomatic Pract. I. 356 Treaty rolls..handed to Philip VI by the bishop of Lincoln on 1 November, were also oversealed with a small seal.
overshower v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃaʊə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃaʊ(ə)r/
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles xviii. 26 Pericles..With sighes shot through, and biggest teares ore-showr'd. Leaues Tharsus.
1823 ‘B. Cornwall’ Flood of Thessaly ii. 47 Curtains of trembling mist And azure-woven air came flowing down, O'er-shower'd with stars.
1924 L. Binyon Sirens iii. 25 Body bare Over-showered with beams so fine As cleanse the very heart of care.
1981 P. Y. Schmitt in R. H. Perez Protocols Perinatal Nursing Pract. xix. 323/1 The newborn in intensive care, despite the loud noises, continued light, and continual auditory stimulation, can develop a sensory deprivation from being overshowered with the wrong kind of stimuli.
2012 D. Tolin Face your Fears i. 12 In addition to washing my hands and overshowering to remove any contamination, I began cleaning compulsively with bleach.
† over-silver v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) iii. x. 75 Somnite..eall heora wæpn ofersylfredan.
1824 C. Wells Joseph & Brethren (1876) i. vi. 90 Grave Time showers from his shaking hand The snow of age, o'ersilvering the crown.
1891 Anthony's Photogr. Bull. 28 Mar. 183 Now my paper,..if properly silvered, will not measle, while if under-silvered it will be sure to have red measles, and if over-silvered there will be black measles.
a1920 A. H. Bullen Weeping-cross (1921) 24 Jessamine flaunts gold by day, And birch o'ersilvers night!
† over-spangle v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1628 F. Greville Life of Sidney (1651) xiv. 176 I beheld this grave subject..over-spangled with lightnesse.
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 33 Her scarf..over-spangled with a million Of little eyes.
1858 Ladies' Repository Apr. 216/2 A kind of natural association between the flowerlets that twinkle amid the meadow-grass..and those ‘lesser lights’ that over-spangle the ebon vault of night.
overspatter v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈspatə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈspædər/
ΚΠ
1883 Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours 34 159/1 How they chatter, chatter, chatter,..While the stars that over-spatter All the heavens hear their clatter In a soft and mild delight.
1918 J. W. Wiles tr. I. Mažuranić Death of Smail Aga iv. 25 His outthrust eye on the green grass did cry, And he was overspatter'd with red blood.
1977 C. Bennett et al. Year-Round, All-Occasion Make your own Greeting Card Bk. 71 Keep the brush angled toward the paper as you brush the bristles until the paper is evenly spattered. Don't overspatter.
2017 T. Cox 21st-cent. Yokel vi. 218 The lawn had had its last mow of the year and paths and roads were overspattered with marauding leaf mess.
over-stamp v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstamp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstæmp/
ΚΠ
1640 W. Lithgow Gushing Teares of Godly Sorrow sig. C2 Listen to me, as to thy Lazar poore, Thats overstamp'd with seals, of scabs, and sores.
1935 Burlington Mag. June 288/1 Over-stamping on Sheffield-made candlesticks the London date-letter 1775–6.
1989 Independent 9 Feb. 5/7 Spanish currency from South America overstamped for England.
† over-stud v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1783 F. G. Waldron Contin. Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd v. 98 My Iris-robe, with stars and crescents bright O'er-studded.
† over-weal v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1576 T. Newton tr. L. Lemnie Touchstone of Complexions 43 Their bodies..overwhealed and engraynd with loathsome blisters.
over-web v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwɛb/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwɛb/
ΚΠ
1872 R. Browning Fifine cxxxi, in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) XI. 339 Its mullions wink o'erwebbed with bloomy greenness.
1887 A. Hayes Last Crusade 81 A giant fan Of silver ribs o'erwebbed with opal gauze.
1997 Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) (Nexis) 31 Aug. h1 Thin fog overwebbed the valley as the surface of the Hudson released its heat.
over-wipe v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwʌɪp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwaɪp/
ΚΠ
1532 T. More Confut. Barnes in Wks. (1557) 797/2 Those synnes onely whiche are with the pencell of daily prayer ouerwyped.
1996 Re: Cookies, Forms, Refresh, & Reload: MSIE Bites. in comp.infosystems.www.authoring.cgi (Usenet newsgroup) 27 June Hey, if [the company] can overwipe stuff with hidden installs, why not you?
(b) With verbal nouns (and nouns closely associated with verbs), forming nouns (see also overclouding n., overgrowth n., etc.); and with participial adjectives, forming adjectives (see also overgrown adj., overlying adj., etc.).
overinked adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪŋ(k)t/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɪŋ(k)t/
ΚΠ
1878 W. D. Richmond Gram. Lithogr. i. xiv. 103 Quick and light rolling combined has the greatest effect in clearing an already over-inked job.
1890 W. Morris in J. W. Mackail Life W. Morris (1899) II. 249 I inclose a specimen (over-inked) of as far as we have gone at present.
1925 Scott's Standard Postage Stamp Catal. (ed. 81) 1853/1 Poor Impressions, Overinked and Spotted.
2000 L. Blacklow New Dimensions Photo Processes (ed. 3) xi. 157 Using crumpled plastic wrap to dab overinked areas can aid in achieving the etching-like appearance.
† over-noting adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Bij Correcting, and perfyting them With ouernotynge hande.
overscribble n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌskrɪbl/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌskrɪb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1890 E. Johnson Rise Christendom ii. 39 We may distinguish in this great palimpsest the old Roman Scripture from the monkish over-scribble.
1973 Computerworld 28 Nov. 9/2 Some overscribbles on my ‘Santiago, Moscow and Ottawa’ column..—the ‘How can you be so stupid?’ kind of thing.
2000 Oil-Indust. Hist. 1 43/1 In the original claim the inkblot and overscribble cover what seems to be ‘To whom’.
over-wooded adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwʊdᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwʊdəd/
ΚΠ
1800 S. T. Coleridge This Lime-tree Bower in Ann. Anthol. 2 140 The roaring dell, o'erwooded, narrow, deep.
a1873 F. G. Tuckerman Garden Lodge in Sonnets (1931) v. 150 The low-built cottage buried in the vale, Wooded and over-wooded.
(c) Forming nouns, with concrete nouns denoting the covering object, medium, substance, etc. See also overcloth n., overcoat n., overcover n., overgarment n., overglaze n., overlayer n., overpaint n., overshirt n., overshoe n., overwrap n. (occasionally in attributive use, as overcup n.); esp. with reference to layers of clothing, in the sense ‘worn over or above’, ‘upper or outer’. Cf. over adj. 1c.
over-bolster n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌbəʊlstə/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌboʊlstər/
ΚΠ
1917 D. H. Lawrence in Seven Arts July 280 A single bed, opened for the night, the white over-bolster piled back.
overbodice n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌbɒdᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌbɑdəs/
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > bodice > other
corset1299
overbody1535
jupon1542
jup1603
Pierrot?1789
chemisette1796
spencer1799
jupe1810
jelick1816
railly1819
rail1820
Zouave1859
Basque1860
casaque1872
casaquin1879
overbodice1897
choli1907
halter1935
tube top1974
boob tube1977
bustier1978
1897 Westm. Gaz. 15 July 3/2 A design demanding some skill in the arrangement of its overbodice.
1995 Toronto Star (Nexis) 26 Dec. f6 The dress has a loose-fitting bodice with a shaped, dropped-waist overbodice of princess seaming.
over-boot n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəbuːt/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌbut/
ΚΠ
1841 E. Rigby Resid. Shores Baltic I. x. 223 The little feet..swell to misshapen stumps beneath an accumulation of under-socks and over-socks, under-shoes and over-boots.
1888 Harper's Mag. Feb. 363/1 The man wears a long gray homespun coat..and huge elephantine overboots of cloth.
1989 New Scientist 11 Mar. 73/4 In east Greenland, hunters traditionally wore complete outfits of polar bear skin—hooded jacket, mittens, trousers and over-boots for winter hunting.
over-cape n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəkeɪp/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌkeɪp/
ΚΠ
1894 Daily News 10 Sept. 6/5 A beautiful cape..made with a shorter over-cape of grey cloth bordered with a jet fringe.
1976 San Antonio (Texas) Express 2 Oct. b1/4 A completely traditional cape of heavy wool cloth with a sort of overcape.
over-collar n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌkɒlə/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌkɑlər/
ΚΠ
1894 Daily News 21 Nov. 6/3 An over-collar of Venetian point is laid upon the velvet.
1969 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring–Summer 27 Diagonal-weave Coat, trim and smart with its double-breasted styling, white overcollar and semi-fitted lines.
over-gaiter n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌɡeɪtə/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌɡeɪdər/
ΚΠ
1860 G. W. Hawes Ohio State Gazetteer for 1860–61 913/1 Ladies' & Gents' Over-Shoes, Over-Gaiters, Congress, Button and Laced Gaiters.
1908 ‘O. Henry’ Voice of City 233 It was Rosalie, in..gray walking suit, and tan oxfords with lavender overgaiters.
1997 Re: Backcountry Ski Gear in rec.backcountry (Usenet newsgroup) 27 Jan. For leather boots, overgaiters are a good way to keep feet warm and dry.
over-gown n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəɡaʊn/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌɡaʊn/
ΚΠ
1893 E. Arnold Adzuma iii. vii. 130 I am designing birds and trees, Go Inkyô Sama! for an over-gown.
1984 J. Nunn Fashion in Costume 63 In the 1670s, when the over-gown or mantua found favour.
over-jacket n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌdʒakɪt/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌdʒækət/
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > jacket > other
duffel coat1683
duffel jacket1732
petenlair1753
grego1767
wamus1805
camisole1816
over-jacket1830
matinee1851
Zouave1859
paletot1863
blazer1880
Norfolks1902
letter sweater1914
letter jacket1934
bomber jacket1940
shirt-jac1944
samfu jacket1955
guru jacket1966
Mao jacket1967
1830 J. Elliott Hist. Sketches District Columbia 209 The clothing for each convict shall be a roundabout, or over jacket, a vest and pantaloons, made of wool, for the winter.
1885 Cent. Mag. July 414/1 Their sheep-skin over-jackets and cloaks hang behind them on their horses.
1976 Scotsman 27 Dec. 8/3 (advt.) Cold store workers use polar wear fibre pile clothing, superb for all winter activities—over jackets from only £11.40.
over-jumper n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəˌdʒʌmpə/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌdʒəmpər/
ΚΠ
1975 Times 7 Oct. 11/4 Over-jumper with wide sleeves..and a square neck.
1996 Northern Echo (Nexis) 20 June 10 On the shoulders that carry the world's quickest bowlers' over-jumpers, sit the troubles of the world.
over-mitt n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəmɪt/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌmɪt/
ΚΠ
1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face 298 Gloves with waterproof over-mitts are standard.
1994 Up Here (Yellowknife, N.W. Territories) Nov. 20/1 Then we donned parkas and, finally, huge fur overmitts, attached to a long cord around our necks.
over-sock n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəsɒk/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌsɑk/
ΚΠ
1841 E. Rigby Resid. Shores Baltic I. x. 222 The little feet..swell to misshapen stumps beneath an accumulation of under-socks and over-socks, undershoes and over-boots.
1929 Footwear Organiser Jan. 31 (heading) The Oversock vogue spreads throughout the country.
1993 Equinox Oct. 27 (advt.) Be sure to wear Gore-Tex footwear or oversocks.
i. With verbs, in 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 something; see also overblow v.1, overbrede v., overgang v., overglide v., over-range v., override v., overrun v., oversweep v., etc.; also in related nouns and adjectives (see also overthrust n., overthrust adj., etc.).
† over-browse v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1850 E. B. Browning Soul's Trav. viii Banks too steep To be o'erbrowzèd by the sheep.
† over-circulate v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. v. 229 That Orient maiesty arising to ouercirculate the earth.
† over-riot v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) iv. l. 528 And let þe Persoyis..His landys oure ryot and oure ryde.
1840 R. Browning Sordello i. 216 Too sure to over-riot and confound..each brilliant islet with itself.
1894 J. Davidson Unhist. Pastoral v. i. 63 This temple, wherein all might minister, Should be o'er-rioted, abused, profaned.
over-rush v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrʌʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrəʃ/
ΚΠ
1634 J. Russell Two Famous Pitcht Battels Lypsich & Lutzen 27 Then forward on with rage and force they push, And their fear-strucken foes soon over-rush.
1874 A. T. de Vere Alexander v. x. 229 He, swifter than the morn O'er-rushed the globe.
1987 A. R. Ammons Tertiaries in Sumerian Vistas 66 I still have Next to nothing, heaps of verbal glitterment, Rushes of feeling overrushing feeling.
† overscour v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Frier Bacon (1594) sig. H4 To scud and ouer-scoure the earth in post.
1852 R. Kelsey Alfred of Wessex I. vi. 220 Snap their restraining halters, through the streams Plunge, overscour the plains, upclimb the mounts.
overskim v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskɪm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskɪm/
ΚΠ
1822 W. Tennant Thane of Fife i. 34 He with his navy has o'er-skimm'd the seas.
1872 R. Browning Fifine xxxii, in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) XI. 242 I call attention to my dress, Coiffure, outlandish features,..all that eye-glance over-skims.
1899 R. Broughton Dr. Cupid xxvii. 269 That five years' abyss between them;..which, though she may skirt it round, or lightly overskim it, will none the less ever, ever be there.
1966 Brit. Foundryman 59 47/3 Use perforated skimming ladles and do not overskim.
2003 Aquarium Fish Mag. Aug. 59/1 Do not overskim. Although there are gigantic skimmers available, use a skimmer that fits your aquarium.
† overslurring n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1811 T. J. Hogg Life Shelley (1858) I. 383 Without..employing any kind of declamation, overslurring, or sophistry.
over-trail v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtreɪl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtreɪl/
ΚΠ
1832 Ld. Tennyson Lady of Shalott i, in Poems (new ed.) 10 The little isle is..overtrailed With roses.
1884 A. T. de Vere Joan of Arc in Poet. Wks. VI. 340 A rose o'er-trailed that wall Painted with warlike deeds a century later.
1894 Littell's Living Age 26 May 482/2 We glided under brambled banks overtrailed with the wild vine.
† over-whisper v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1855 R. Browning in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) VI. 194 Yet there's the dye, in that rough mesh, The sea has only just o'erwhispered!
1890 J. Todhunter Sicilian Idyll 22 Redder your lips Than coral just o'erwhispered by the surge.
j.
(a) With the sense ‘across, from side to side, to the other side’; see also overbring v., overcarve v., overcross v., overdraw v. [Compare classical Latin trāns (see trans- prefix).]
† overfestoon v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1840 R. Browning Sordello i. 662 Thus thrall reached thrall: He o'erfestooning every interval.
over-link v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɪŋk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɪŋk/
ΚΠ
1577 R. Willes & R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Hist. Trauayle W. & E. Indies f. 247v A bridge made of many barges, ouerlinked all togeather with two mighty cheyns.
1997 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 23 Oct. 12 This beautiful old property, circa 1874, overlinks the Hawkesbury River.
† over-split adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1593 Tell-Trothes New-yeares Gift (1876) 29 Loyalty recovereth a world of oversplit infirmities.
(b) With corresponding nouns and adjectives, as overcut n., etc.
k.
(a) With the sense of bringing over to a particular view, opinion, party, etc. In verbs (see also over-bribe v., over-entreat v., overpersuade v.). Occasionally formed with nouns, as overmoney v.
† over-force v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1619 M. Drayton Barrons Wars (rev. ed.) vi. lxii. 90 Phœbus she said was ouer-forc'd by Art.
† over-pray v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1610 G. Fletcher Christs Victorie 8 The Iudge might partiall be, and ouer-pray'd.
† over-tempt v. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > motivation > attraction, allurement, or enticement > attract, allure, or entice [verb (transitive)] > away
ofdraw?c1225
spana1250
to draw awayc1384
slock1483
steal1526
over-tempt1643
1643 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce 22 Lest the soul of a Christian..should be over tempted and cast away.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xviii. ii. 176 A small Breach of Friendship which he had been over-tempted to commit. View more context for this quotation
(b) So with corresponding nouns and adjectives, as overpersuasion n., etc.
l. With the sense of ‘across a (physical) boundary’; hence also figurative of transgression; as overgang v., overgo v., overlash v., etc. Also in derivatives, as overstepping n.
m.
(a) With the sense ‘beyond a point or limit, further than’; in verbs (see also overfly v., overgo v., overgrow v., overreach v.). Also in derivatives (see also overgoing n.).
† over-clasping n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1775 J. Adair Hist. Amer. Indians 310 The hunter..makes off to a sappling, which the bear by over-clasping cannot climb.
(b) Prefixed to a singular numeral and used attributively with reference to people whose age in years exceeds that number; also prefixed to corresponding plural numbers and used as n. to denote such a person (usually in plural).
ΚΠ
1925 Times 20 May 12/2 How will the proposed exclusion affect the ‘over fifties’, even some of the ‘over forties’?
1927 Times 17 Nov. 7/3 In the over 60 class Edward Blackwell was a triton among minnows.
1940 R. Graves & A. Hodge Long Week-end xvii. 303 The Evening News..throwing open its columns to the over-forties.
1975 B. Meyrick Behind Light xiv. 183 After the boys' competitions, where I came in second in the over-twelves, came..community hymn singing.
1993 Omni Oct. 89/1 The over-forty, past the age of innocence, no-nonsense woman who had seen it all.
n. With the sense of overtake v. In overcatch v., overget v., overhale v., overhaul v., overhent v., overhie v., overnim v. [In a small group of synonymous verbs, including overtake v., earlier overnim v., and later overhent v., overget v., overcatch v., and overhale v., the second element means ‘to take’ or ‘to catch’ ; the original application being apparently to the running down and catching of a fugitive or hunted animal: compare the synonymous to catch up 5 at catch v. Phrasal verbs 1.
The sense of over- is unclear. It might be explained as ‘to take by overrunning, or by getting over the intervening space’, comparing overreach = reach over or across a space. But it is doubtful whether this was the original notion. The sense of ‘overtake’ was expressed later also by overhie v., overrun v., and overgo v. In Early Middle English overtake and overgo had the earlier parallel forms oftake v., ofgo v., which seem to have been the strictly southern equivalents (oftake being actually exemplified earlier than overtake ): the relation between of- and over- here, as well as in ofthink v., overthink v.2, has not been clearly determined.]
o. With the sense of overhear v. So in overlisten v., oversee v.
p. With the sense ‘all through’ (something extended), ‘through the extent of’, ‘from beginning to end’; in verbs, such as overlook v., overname v., overpass v., over-read v., overview v.
q. With the senses ‘through’, ‘to the end of, over the period of’ in time; ‘to an end or issue’, ‘to extinction’ (= out- prefix 3b(b)); in verbs (see also overpass v., overrun v., oversey v.).
† overdream v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1818 H. H. Milman Samor vii. 171 As though they had o'erdream'd The churlish winter.
over-dure v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdjʊə/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdʒʊə/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdjɔː/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdʒɔː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈd(j)ʊ(ə)r/
now rare
ΚΠ
1633 J. Done tr. ‘Aristeas’ Aunc. Hist. Septuagint 197 But this Story of Aristeus hath ouer-dured those flames.
1909 J. Payne Outgate in Flower o' Thorn 78 In her approof I rest secure Who destined is to overdure The insect hum and fret of men.
over-last v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɑːst/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈlast/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlæst/
ΚΠ
1613–16 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals iii, in Whole Wks. (1868) 146 The glasses..Were all of ice not made to overlast One supper.
1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche xi. x. 134 She begs but what shall well o'erlast a day.
1989 Scotl. on Sunday 28 May 13 A quite untypical boom in Scotland that was going to overlast a downturn in the rest of the UK.
† over-waste v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1425 Medulla Gram. (Stonyhurst) f. 1v Absumo, to ouerwaste.
1619 M. Drayton Barons Warres vi. lxxiii, in Poems 93 None regarded to maintaine the Light, Which being ouer-wasted, was gone out.
1621 T. Mun Disc. Trade in J. R. McCulloch Early Eng. Tracts Comm. (1952) i. 5 Where a contrary course is taken, through wantonnesse and riot, to ouerwaste both forren and domesticke wares.
r. With the sense ‘beyond (in time)’, ‘too long’, ‘too late’; in verbs (see also overbide v., overkeep v., overlive v., overstay v.); occasionally with the sense ‘until the following day, overnight’. In nouns in the sense ‘surviving’, such as over-belief n.
† over-tarry v. Obsolete rare
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > [verb (intransitive)] > be late
over-tarry1843
to run early, on time, etc.1876
1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons II. iv. iv. 49 I have over-tarried, good my lord.
† over-quarter v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1826 W. Scott Woodstock (1832) xii. 221 I mean my Lord Cromwell's way, of over-quartering his men in the towns he marches through.
s. With the sense ‘remaining over’ or ‘in addition or excess’, ‘surplus’, ‘extra’; in nouns (see also overdeal n., overmatter n., overtime n., etc.); also with verbs, as overleave v.
over-hours n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvə(r)aʊəz/
,
U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌaʊ(ə)rz/
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > work > times or periods of work > [noun] > work beyond regular hours
over-hours1762
overtime1791
Morrison hour1949
1762 in C. W. Hatfield Hist. Notices Doncaster (1866) I. 203 Gave the workmen..for working over-hours, one shilling.
1832 H. Martineau Homes Abroad v. 74 I am soon to begin building you a house at over hours.
1903 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 66 286 Up to 1855 all old wood was carted free. Subsequently over-hours were paid for and cartage was charged.
† over-wages n. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > [noun] > extra payments > for overtime
overtime1791
over-wages1817
1817 W. Scott Let. 11 Aug. (1933) IV. 496 The task of maintaining a poor rendered effeminate and vicious by over wages and over-living.
1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey 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.
t. With the notion of repetition, ‘over again’; in verbs (see also overact v., overhear v., over-read v., oversay v.); also in participial adjectives; and in nouns denoting something which is repeated, as overcome n.1, overword n.
(a)
† overquethe v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
OE Blickling Homilies 15 We hit sceolan eft ofercweþan.
(b)
over-fought adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɔːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɔt/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈfɑt/
rare
ΚΠ
1902 Westm. Gaz. 3 Dec. 4/2 There is something of an over-fought battle, and a slaying of the slain.
u. With the sense of overcoming, putting down, or getting the better of, by means of the action or thing expressed; Frequently poetic.Many modern English formations in this sense are archaic.It is possible that overburden, overcark, overload, overweigh, and the like, belong originally here, rather than to sense 2b(a).
(a) In verbs; see also overawe v., over-brave v., overdare v., overface v., etc.
† overbray v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1876 J. S. Blackie Songs Relig. & Life 202 To overbray The voice of grave authority.
† over-choke v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. i. xxx. 102 We have altogether over-choaked hir [sc. Nature].
over-cow v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkaʊ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkaʊ/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-cow.
a1915 S. Phillips Harold (1927) ii. i. 54 What over-cows thee, man? Must we believe That thou dost shake at cowls of Norman priests?
† over-fright v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1605 J. Marston Dutch Courtezan iii. i There is your husband, who sent me in all hast, least you should be ouer frighted with his fayning, to come to dinner to him.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Sensus Communis: Ess. Freedom of Wit 43 This..cou'd never have been acted but by mean Spirits, such as had been held in awe, and over-frighted by the Magi.
† over-lume v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1794 J. Williams Shrove Tuesday 3 When..lesser planets Phœbus had o'erlumed.
† over-noise v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1667 A. Cowley Of Greatness in Ess. in Verse & Prose (1687) 126 No Mirth or Musick over~noise your Fears.
a1711 T. Ken Hymns for Festivals in Wks. (1721) I. 197 The Curetes over-nois'd his cry, Lest his own sire should to devour him fly.
† over-stifle v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1666 W. Boghurst Loimographia (1894) 59 Overstifling and weakening people with too much sweating.
† over-wrestle v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. vii. sig. Gv When life recouer'd had the raine, And ouer-wrestled his strong enimy.
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. [citing Spenser] Overwrestle, to subdue by wrestling. [Also in later dictionaries.]]
(b) So in participial adjectives.
† overcowed adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1834 T. Pringle Afr. Sketches x. 312 (note) One feels oneself fairly ‘overcowed’, and dare not even aspire to be heard.
† over-dazed adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1632 F. Quarles Divine Fancies (1660) ii. xxxii. 64 She smiles, she wonders, being overdaz'd With his bright beams, stands silent, stands amaz'd.
† over-deaved adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1875 M. J. Preston Cartoons 8 The world is over-deaved with speech.
† over-drowsed adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1817 W. Wordsworth Vernal Ode iv To lie and listen—till o'er-drowsèd sense Sinks, hardly conscious of the influence.
1876 E. Dowden In July in Poems 116 But murmurings low of inarticulate moods, Softer than stir of unfledged cushat broods, Breathe, till o'erdrowsed the heavy flower-heads bend.
over-warred adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwɔːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwɔrd/
ΚΠ
1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) v. xxv. 112 The chiefe and grauest of the Peeres, did ouer-warred flye Into the Woods.
1897 F. Thompson New Poems 55 I, so star-weary, over-warred,..only stand aside and grieve.
2. With the sense of ‘over or beyond’ in degree or quality; hence, of surpassing, excelling, exceeding, excess.
a. With the sense ‘so as to surpass’.
(a)
(i) With the sense of doing some action over or beyond another agent, of going beyond, surpassing, or excelling in the action of the simple verb. In verbs; see also overbid v., overleap v., overruff v., overrun v., oversmite v.
† overamble v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis i. 9 Herpalicee, sweeft Queene, steeds strong ouerambling.
† over-bandy v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Brit. Libr. copy) sig. E4v He so farre outstript him in villainous words, and ouer-bandied him in bitter terms.
† over-blaze v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1652 W. Sclater Civil Magistr. (1653) 2 The sparkling of the one, overblazed the duskishnesse of the other.
1842 Bentley's Misc. Feb. 168 The Countess would shrink from being over-blazed [by another's diamonds].
† over-cackle v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes liv. sig. Bviiiv Whan euer thou wouldest seeme, to ouer crow me, Than will I surely ouer cakyll the.
† over-chant v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1628 J. Shirley Wittie Faire One i. ii An hundred nightingales Shall fall down dead..For grief to be o'er-chanted.
† over-cry v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1854 S. Dobell Balder xix, in Poet. Wks. (1875) II. 87 Because ye overcried the voice of Right, Because ye clapped your hands when strong men lied.
1880 J. A. J. Neafie Harolde v. iii. 81 Shriek to the listless winds—O'ercry the sea.
† over-perk v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xxi. f. 141 It might..lenifie that corrosiue humor, which with frowning face, forceth you to ouerperke your humble suppliants.
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (xlviii. 3) That that gorgeousnesse or that loftines overperk not Gods power.
† over-ring v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1844 E. B. Browning Lady Geraldine's Courtship xii When a sudden silver speaking, gravely cadenced, over-rung them.
1864 Fraser's Mag. Nov. 636 My voice will come across the dark And through the day-dawn's glimmer O'er-ring the sound of the lengthening swell.
over-scream v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskriːm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskrim/
rare
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-scream.
† over-squeak v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1604 T. Middleton Ant & Nightingale sig. C4 He walkt the chamber with such a pestilent Gingle, that his Spurs ouersqueakt the Lawyer.
† over-stare v. Obsolete rare
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > stare or gaze at
bestarec1220
bigapea1250
to gape atc1290
fix14..
to stick one's eyes in (also into)c1485
attacha1500
porec1500
to take feeding (of)c1500
stare1510
(to have) in gaze1577
gaze1591
outstare1596
over-stare1600
devour1628
trysta1694
ogle1795
begaze1802
toise1888
fixate1889
rubberneck1897
eyeball1901
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. i. 27 I would ore-stare the sternest eyes that looke: Out-braue the hart most daring on the earth. View more context for this quotation
(ii) In verbs formed on nouns, with the sense of surpassing in, or in the role of; see also overwit v.
over-bulk v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbʌlk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbəlk/
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 314 The seeded pride..must or now be cropt, Or shedding breede a noursery of like euill, To ouer-bulk vs all. View more context for this quotation
2002 www.clevelandskyscrapers.com 7 Oct. (O.E.D. Archive) Although carefully designed so as not to overtop the Terminal Tower, the building ‘overbulked’ the Terminal with its large size.
† over-multitude v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1637 J. Milton Comus 25 The heards would over-multitude [printed inultitude] their Lords.
(iii) In ad hoc phrases in which a noun is used as a verb and then repeated (occasionally with a distinguishing suffix) as its object (cf. out- prefix 4c(a), 4c(c)), as to over-gospel the gospel, etc. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 17 He will outlaw the Law,..over-Gospell the Gospell.
1735 T. Sheridan in Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 124 My two puppies have..overpuppied their puppyships.
1827 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) IV. 17 This is over-Macphersoning Macpherson.
(b) In reflexive verbs 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; see also overbloom v., overdrink v., overeat v., oversleep v.Sometimes merely with the sense of doing something to excess or too much; cf. sense 2b(a)(i).
† overfeast v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1843 A. Bethune Sc. Peasant's Fire-side 257 If one of the former happened to have overfeasted himself upon a ‘rotten sheep’.
† over-mill v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1843 W. M. Thackeray Irish Sketch-bk. (1900) V. xx. 466 Mill-owners over-mill themselves.
† over-polk v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1853 C. M. Yonge Heir of Redclyffe I. xii. 199 She has over-polked herself in London, and is sent here for quiet and country air.
† over-sot v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1643 J. Shute Judgem. & Mercy (1645) 119 Men have so oversotted themselves, that..they have turned the courses of men.
(c)
(i) With the sense ‘more than’: in verbs (see also overbalance v., overmatch v., overmate v.).
over-conquer v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɒŋkə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɑŋkər/
ΚΠ
1612 W. Sclater Christians Strength Ep. Ded. sig. A2 Wee fight not against flesh and bloud: wee encounter and conquer, yea overconquer the God of this world.
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-compensate,..-conquer.
2002 www.pbc.org 5 Nov. (O.E.D. Archive) The driving notion of this verse [sc. Romans 8:37] is the verb hypernikomen, literally ‘we overconquer.’
† over-empty v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall i. f. 64v The women would be verie loth to come behinde the fashion, in newfanglednes..if not in costlynes,..which perhaps might ouer-empty their husbands purses.
† over-equal v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 186 Bona is over-equall'd by Bishops Kidder and Ken.
† over-overcome v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (Rom. viii. 37) We do over-overcome, because through faith in Christ we overcome before we fight.
† over-parallel v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1620 J. Ford Line of Life 107 Nor shall [it] euer [be] ouer-paralleled by any age succeeding.
over-satisfy v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsatᵻsfʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsædəsˌfaɪ/
ΚΠ
1615 Bp. J. Hall No Peace with Rome xii, in Recoll. Treat. 866 Who can abide that any mortall man should ouer-satisfie God for his sins?
1920 Ann. Missouri Bot. Garden 7 55 Beyond this point this hydration capacity is over-satisfied and the moisture over and above that absorbed by the fibre is adsorbed by the surfaces exposed.
(ii) In adjectives; see also overdue adj., overfull adj.
overcomplete adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəmˈpliːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəmˈplit/
ΚΠ
1866 G. Stephens Old-Northern Runic Monuments I. i. 280 The alphabet thus inscribed being occasionally incomplete or overcomplete.
1949 Amer. Econ. Rev. 39 493 The propensity to import may tend to produce an incomplete adjustment to decreases in exports and an overcomplete adjustment to increases.
† over-womanly adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1683 J. Dryden & N. Lee Duke of Guise i. i. 7 Such an habitual over-Womanly Goodness.
(d) With the sense ‘exceedingly, beyond measure, lavishly’. In verbs [often after classical Latin compounds in super- super- prefix] (see also overabound v., overflourish v., over-glad v., over-grieve v., overhigh v., overjoy v.); and adjectives (see also overdear adj.). Now archaic, the sense having usually passed into 2b(a).
† over-excelling adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Invisible World (1659) iii. i. 134 Those over-excelling glories of the good Angels.
over-glorious adj.
ΚΠ
1633 J. Ford 'Tis Pitty shee's Whore v. sig. Kv How ouer-glorious art thou in thy wounds, Tryumphing ouer infamy and hate!
1874 Catholic World Oct. 132/1 The defeat of an over-glorious nation, crushed to despair.
1929 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 23 895 The party was fighting what all knew to be a difficult, defensive battle after a not over-glorious tenure of office.
(e) With the sense ‘to a greater extent, or at a greater rate, than is usual, natural, or intended; too far’. In verbs, such as overact v., overbid v., overbuy v., overcarry v., overcount v., overenter v., overesteem v., overestimate v., overhold v., overlaunch v., overpay v., overprize v., overrate v., oversell v., etc. In adjectives, such as over-awful adj., etc.Now largely indistinguishable from 2b(a) and 2b(b).
b. With the sense ‘in or to excess, too much, too’. Now a leading sense of over- in combination with verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs.In modern English very common with a negative (esp. in adjectives and their derivatives), as in not over-brave, not over-obliging, not over-pleased (in, e.g., ‘he was not over-pleased with the result’), in which not over- is used by litotes for ‘not quite enough’, ‘somewhat deficiently’; not over-wise = somewhat lacking in wisdom.In Old English it occurs in many adjectives, a few verbs, and numerous derivative or other nouns. In Old English (as in the cognate languages) over was in true combination; its generalized use in modern English 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 joined with a hyphen to the word which it qualifies.
(a)
(i) With verbs (both transitive and intransitive), and with nouns or adjectives used as verbs. Many verbs arose in Middle English; those treated as main entries include overcark v., overcharge v., overdrive v., overheat v., overlade v., overpraise v. In the 16th cent. such formations began to abound, as overblow v.1, overboil v., overburden v., over-busy v., overcloy v., over-cram v., overdare v., overeat v., over-fear v., overgorge v., over-labour v., overload v., over-love v., overreach v., over-roast v., etc. Some of the occasional formations listed below date from before 1600 (and a few from before 1500); after 1600 it was effectively possible to prefix over- in this sense to any verb whose sense allowed it.A few such verbs occur in Old English, e.g. overdo v., overdrink v., overfill v., ofersīeman v.; some of these, however, only approach this sense, or can be otherwise explained.
over-accentuate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əkˈsɛn(t)ʃʊeɪt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)akˈsɛn(t)ʃʊeɪt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)əkˈsɛntjʊeɪt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)akˈsɛntjʊeɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərækˈsɛn(t)ʃuˌeɪt/
,
/ˌoʊvərəkˈsɛn(t)ʃuˌeɪt/
ΚΠ
1870 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 720/1 The only error in pronunciation is in ‘reduplicating’, the third syllable having been over-accentuated.
1977 Gramophone Jan. 1160/1 If anything the conductor over-accentuates at the expense of broader phrasing.
† over-afflict v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1645 Bp. J. Hall Remedy Discontentm. xiii. 69 Hee that over-afflicts his body, kills a Subject.
over-agonize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈaɡənʌɪz/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈaɡn̩ʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈæɡəˌnaɪz/
ΚΠ
1758 Herald No. 19 (1758) 2 59 He [sc. the modern actor] over-agonizes dying, and many ways debases his own excellencies, to extort applause from the injudicious.
2002 Village Voice (N.Y.) 14 Aug. All of the characters are stuck in narrative holding patterns, over-agonizing about their situations.
over-answer v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɑːnsə/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈansə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈænsər/
ΚΠ
1711 J. Anderson Countrey-man's Let. to Curat 75 Lay these two together, and I hope your Author is over answered, and that it is plain, the Service of the Common Prayers and the English Service were two things.
2000 Family Planning Perspectives 32 258/2 Parents often ‘overanswer’ questions because they interpret them as much more complex and profound than they actually are.
over-argue v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɑːɡjuː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɑrɡju/
ΚΠ
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Triumph of Faith (1845) 55 We are not either to over-argue or to under-argue, neither to faint nor despise.
1997 G. G. Osborn in R. C. Ward Found. Osteopathic Med. xi. 163/2 It has been over-argued as a feature of coronary artery disease.
over-assess v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈsɛs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈsɛs/
ΚΠ
1898 Westm. Gaz. 2 Sept. 2/3 When he went into a house in the district he was over-assessed by the water company.
1981 Amer. Banker (Nexis) 10 July 8 A U.S. bank, in examining a foreign firm with a financial structure, accounting policies and management-style different from its clients, may overassess the risk elements.
over-bake v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbeɪk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbeɪk/
ΚΠ
1598 tr. G. de Rosselli Epulario L ij But let them not bee ouerbaked.
1876 C. C. Robinson Gloss. Words Dial. Mid-Yorks. 30/2 Dêazed bread is overbaked outwardly, and not enough baked within.
1995 Guardian 11 Nov. (Weekend Suppl.) 55/2 The superb baked quality the pinotage grape often achieves is not overbaked here.
† over-black v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 27v Should I ouer-blacke mine Incke, perplexe pale Paper..with the sadde tedious recitall?
over-blame v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbleɪm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbleɪm/
ΚΠ
1848 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton II. v. 77 And mind, wench! I don't over-blame him for this.
1896 A. Newton et al. Dict. Birds: Pt. IV Introd. 35 We must not over-blame those who caused it.
1962 Punch 21 Feb. 326/1 Guy Fawkes, he said, was overblamed.
over-boast v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbəʊst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈboʊst/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-boast.
1981 Jrnl. Marriage & Family 43 616/2 A tendency to say nice things about each other and not to over-boast about oneself.
over-borrow v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbɒrəʊ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbɔroʊ/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈbɑroʊ/
ΚΠ
1867 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 30 175 The United States, like many other people in extremity, overborrowed.
1994 Daily Tel. 13 Dec. 27/2 Don't invest in something you don't understand. Don't over-borrow against the assets, even for a sure thing.
over-brown v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbraʊn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbraʊn/
ΚΠ
1806 ‘Ignotus’ Culina (ed. 3) 117 Take care that it be not overbrowned.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. xii. 250 Her father..had wrought himself into a violent passion because the toast was over-browned.
1998 30 All Time Great Recipes (BBC Good Food) Autumn 13/4 If the pie starts to over-brown, cover it with foil.
over-brush v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbrʌʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbrəʃ/
ΚΠ
1855 E. C. Gaskell North & South I. vii She owed it to herself to..speak courteously from time to time to this stranger; not over-brushed, nor over-polished, it must be confessed.
1991 Do it Yourself Feb. 50/1 Never overbrush the finish since this can spread out the paint too thinly.
over-characterize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkarᵻktərʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɛr(ə)ktəˌraɪz/
ΚΠ
1959 Times 9 Nov. 6/1 To begin with they [sc. the figures] are heavily over-characterized (by the dangerous means of self-description).
1999 Amer. Rec. Guide (Nexis) 1 Jan. 62 We are given a foreshadowing of the conductor's tendency to over-characterize.
over-cherish v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃɛrɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃɛrəʃ/
ΚΠ
a1706 J. Evelyn Hist. Relig. (1850) I. iii. 231 Endeavour that we do not over-cherish their emotions and solicitudes.
1987 C. Coe I look Divine (1989) 13 You may have noticed that this is often true of men over-cherished in childhood.
over-chill v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃɪl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃɪl/
ΚΠ
1664 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense 59 in Sylva Such Seeds as are in peril of being..over chill'd and frozen.
1702 J. Floyer Cold Baths i. ii. 30 That Aversion most People retain against Cold Bathing, as if it would overchil them.
2002 Montreal Gaz. (Nexis) 29 June g4 Don't overchill rose wine—you'll rob it of its flavours and perfumes.
over-cleave v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkliːv/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkliv/
ΚΠ
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xii. 447 Take heede, not to ouercleaue the stockes of your trees.
1998 Homebrew Digest (Electronic text) No. 2756 Proteins are needed for head retention and body. Over-cleaving them will result in thin beer with mediocre heading ability.
over-coach v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkəʊtʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkoʊtʃ/
ΚΠ
1901 Westm. Gaz. 12 Aug. 2/1 You contended..that public schoolboys were over-coached in batting?
1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 10 Jan. c9/1 Coaches and players on opposing teams must wonder if the Knicks..are being overcoached.
over-commend v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəˈmɛnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəˈmɛnd/
ΚΠ
1612 J. Webster White Divel sig. Kv To reprehend Princes is dangerous: and to ouer-commend some of them is palpable lying.
1670 Earl of Clarendon Ess. in Tracts (1727) 113 If our credit be so well built, so firm, that it is not easy to be shaken by calumny and insinuation, it then over-commends us..to those upon whom we depend, till they grow jealous.
1908 Internat. Studio July p. xxiv–xxvi, in F. A. Bedford Frank W. Benson (1994) 129 Securing his results with a freedom of touch, a healthiness of method that cannot be over-commended.
over-commit v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəˈmɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəˈmɪt/
ΚΠ
1919 G. G. Smith Ben Jonson iv. 104 Jonson gets into difficulties by over-committing himself at the outset to the mood of Asper.
1943 Far Eastern Surv. 12 228/1 Manpower..was a lively issue—anti-Government parties claiming that the Government had overcommitted itself in this respect.
2002 Daily Tel. 21 Jan. 11 Many MPs claim that Rudolf Scharping, the defence minister, over-committed Germany too early.
over-complicate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɒmplᵻkeɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɑmpləˌkeɪt/
ΚΠ
1921 Amer. Econ. Rev. 11 52 The situation has been overcomplicated by the injection of a set of business motives and practices.
2000 PrintWeek 25 Feb. 30/3 We tend to over-complicate everything, it's common for people in the industry to say ‘it depends’.
over-concentrate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɒnsntreɪt/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈkɒnsɛntreɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɑnsənˌtreɪt/
ΚΠ
1874 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 279/1 If he finds himself peppered all over, his attention is not over-concentrated.
1990 R. Pethybridge One Step Backwards, Two Steps Forward iii. 114 Subsequent non-Russian scholars have tended to over-concentrate on the workings of Pomgol and its guberniia equivalents.
over-condense v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈdɛns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈdɛns/
ΚΠ
1877 Spectator 19 May 625/1 An over-condensed, and we are bound to add, unusually unreadable pamphlet.
1995 16th Cent. Jrnl. 26 381 The entries are made in plain English without being overcondensed or encrypted.
† over-confute v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1638 W. Chillingworth Relig. Protestants i. v. §20. 259 Heate of disputation against the Donatists, and a desire to over-confute them.
over-control v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈtrəʊl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈtroʊl/
ΚΠ
1925 W. J. Viljoen in W. H. Dawson S. Afr. vii. 138 If there is one thing from which education is suffering in South Africa it is ‘overitis’. We are over-administered, over-controlled, over-legislated, overregulated, and certainly over-examined.
1996 China Post (Taipei, Taiwan) 1 May 4/5 They could try to over-control the political side of the transition.
† over-creed v. Obsolete Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester Sonnets upon Miraculous Peace in tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. 598 One ouer-Creeds, another Creeds too-short.
over-cull v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəl/
ΚΠ
1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. G4v I doe not ouercull my owne workes.
1998 Newcastle (Austral.) Herald (Nexis) 17 June 13 They are professional fishers and would not overcull the stock.
over-cultivate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌltᵻveɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəltəˌveɪt/
ΚΠ
1808 H. More Cœlebs in Search of Wife I. xxi. 318 Such a fear of over-cultivating learning, that [etc.].
1899 Science 8 Sept. 324/2 Indeed, as compared with other fields, we are tempted to say that this has been over-cultivated.
1997 Europe-Asia Stud. 49 653 Those leaders who overcultivate nationalism, respond to popular sentiments against Russia.
over-damn v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdam/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdæm/
ΚΠ
1900 Westm. Gaz. 13 Sept. 3/1 It is not that she actually over-praises or over-damns, but she is apt to give to the ‘subject’ up in front of her for the moment an importance which that subject cannot justly claim.
2002 Rep. on Business Mag. (Electronic ed.) 31 May If the New Economy was overhyped, it's true too that Cassidy is overdamning.
over-decorate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɛkəreɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɛkəˌreɪt/
ΚΠ
1865 E. W. Godwin Handbk. Floral Decoration for Churches 8 If there is a reredos great care should be taken not to over-decorate it.
1988 F. Spalding Stevie Smith xvi Her liking for simplicity, her refusal to overdecorate her themes, is only one aspect of her poetics.
over-deflate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈfleɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈfleɪt/
,
/ˌoʊvərdiˈfleɪt/
ΚΠ
1950 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. A. 113 4 In the early 1920s we over-deflated because bankers were able to think only in terms of the pre-1913 Gold Standard.
1989 Rev. Econ. & Statistics 71 545/2 The author is sympathetic to the argument that construction output has been overdeflated.
over-digest v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədʌɪˈdʒɛst/
,
/ˌəʊvədᵻˈdʒɛst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌdaɪˈdʒɛst/
,
/ˌoʊvərdəˈdʒɛst/
ΚΠ
1707 J. Floyer Physician's Pulse-watch 151 It over-digests and rarifies the Blood and Spirits.
1975 Speculum 50 490 While Guillou overdigests Byzantium, Dominique Sourdel is agreeably profuse about the Islamic world.
over-dilute v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədʌɪˈl(j)uːt/
,
/ˌəʊvədᵻˈl(j)uːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈlut/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌdaɪˈlut/
ΚΠ
1938 Times 6 Apr. 8/4 Shop stewards are convinced that the engineering trade..is being over-diluted.
1997 Washington Post (Nexis) 22 July do1 She was told by the pharmacist that the syrup had been overdiluted by a pharmacy technician.
over-discipline v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɪsᵻplᵻn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɪsəplən/
ΚΠ
1902 Westm. Gaz. 17 Oct. 8/2 Tommy Atkins is over-disciplined, according to the General, and the infantry he found to be more formidable than the cavalry.
1963 Marriage & Family Living 25 187/1 The wife may feel that the husband is far too strict and that he over-disciplines the children.
over-discount v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədɪˈskaʊnt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdɪˈskaʊnt/
ΚΠ
1900 Westm. Gaz. 5 Mar. 12/1 The possibilities of an unfavourable New York Bank statement this week were over-discounted.
1991 Soviet Stud. 43 608 If..its quantitative series..modestly over-discount hidden inflation, then the Soviet economy..has nonetheless underperformed the West on most key indicators.
over-doctrinize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɒktrᵻnʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɑktrəˌnaɪz/
ΚΠ
1893 B. Carpenter in Bible Soc. Rec. (N.Y.) July 99 The moment you over-doctrinize your religion it tends to become mechanical.
† over-doze v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1682 H. More Annot. Lux Orientalis 29 in Two Choice & Useful Treat. The memory whereof, if we were capable of it, would..overdoze us and make us half moped to the present Scene of things.
over-dramatize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdramətʌɪz/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdrɑːmətʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdrɑməˌtaɪz/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈdræməˌtaɪz/
ΚΠ
1896 K. P. Wormeley tr. H. de Balzac Great Man of Provinces in Paris xvi. 266 The modern novel, where everything is presented in scenes and images, and which has been over-dramatized by Walter Scott.
1955 S. Spender Making of Poem iv. 63 Perhaps I over-dramatize the affair.
1993 Atlantic Oct. 68/1 When some feminists overdramatize minor acts of sexual misconduct..it is sometimes hard to blame them.
† over-dread v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1300 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Caius) 38 Moni..beod..ouer swide o-uer dreð [for ouer dred]. leste hare heaued ake.
a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) 5166 Holde þe euene hem betwene Nat ouer-drede ne ouer-wene.
† over-dull adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 31 The multitude of there worcks over dulleth and burdeneth.
over-edit v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛdɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛdət/
ΚΠ
1860 Sat. Rev. 19 May 649/2 The American practice of over-editing books, and introducing to the reader every person named.
1926 Mod. Lang. Notes 41 516 Immensee..has been overread in the American college not merely because it has been over-edited.
1993 Amer. Antiq. 58 594/1 It is to Webster's credit that chapters were not overedited to present one coherent picture.
over-elaborate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈlabəreɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈlæbəˌreɪt/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈlæbəˌreɪt/
ΚΠ
1899 Publ. Amer. Econ. Assoc. No. 2. 6 The tabulations are in some cases omitted, in some defective, and in some over-elaborated.
1950 Sport 22 Sept. 15/4 Teams which over-elaborate and fiddle to no purpose are not playing football.
1984 N. A. Cookson Romano-Brit. Mosaics (BNC) 21 In other instances one finds a tendency to over elaborate, and a heaviness of design..is the result.
over-emphasize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛmfəsʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛmfəˌsaɪz/
ΚΠ
1875 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 213 We think the author has rather over-emphasized his irony and his acerbity.
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.
1968 H. Harris Nucleus & Cytoplasm i. 12 It cannot be over-emphasized that actinomycin D is an extremely toxic compound.
over-engage v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻnˈɡeɪdʒ/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛnˈɡeɪdʒ/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻŋˈɡeɪdʒ/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛŋˈɡeɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈɡeɪdʒ/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛnˈɡeɪdʒ/
ΚΠ
a1680 S. Charnock Several Disc. Existence of God (1682) 486 He never over-engageth himself above his Ability.
1883 G. H. Boker Leonor de Guzman v. iv. 337 O watchful Heaven, if my poor destiny Have o'er engaged the service of thy thoughts, Grant me my prayer!
1980 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 21 Sept. xi. 22/2 Sometimes children overengage in highly organized and structured activities just to please their parents and gain their acceptance.
over-enjoy v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻnˈdʒɔɪ/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛnˈdʒɔɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈdʒɔɪ/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛnˈdʒɔɪ/
ΚΠ
1842 H. E. Manning Serm. xix. 283 They live alone with Him,..willing and glad to lack what others over-enjoy.
2002 Sunday News (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) (Nexis) 25 Aug. p1 It truly doesn't make sense to overenjoy the pleasures of eating.
over-enrich v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻnˈrɪtʃ/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛnˈrɪtʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈrɪtʃ/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛnˈrɪtʃ/
ΚΠ
1852 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. (ed. 3) I. ii. ii. 276 Wealth which could no longer be employed in over-enriching a few.
1980 M. Shoard Theft of Countryside vi. xxii. 251 The water in the broads and rivers has become over-enriched by nutrients.
over-exact v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻɡˈzakt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡˈzakt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪɡˈzæk(t)/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛɡˈzæk(t)/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-exacted.
1957 Speculum 32 767 By which it might be determined whether the collectors had raised the amount they were required to and whether they had over-exacted.
over-exaggerate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻɡˈzadʒəreɪt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡˈzadʒəreɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪɡˈzædʒəˌreɪt/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛɡˈzædʒəˌreɪt/
ΚΠ
1900 Westm. Gaz. 23 Mar. 2/2 To have suspended them one by one would have over-exaggerated the situation.
1928 Mod. Lang. Notes 43 400 Mr. Caskey in his study has done well not to over-exaggerate the virtues of his subject.
1984 S. Koss in Listener 14 June 15/3 Politicians..who are saying that the lack of these facilities work [sic] to the inevitable disadvantage of the Labour Party, I think are over-exaggerating the advantages to be obtained.
over-exalt v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻɡˈzɔːlt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡˈzɔːlt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻɡˈzɒlt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡˈzɒlt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪɡˈzɔlt/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛɡˈzɔlt/
,
/ˌoʊvərɪɡˈzɑlt/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛɡˈzɑlt/
ΚΠ
a1600 R. Hooker Learned Serm. Pride (1612) 3 The feareful estate of iniquity over exalted.
1931 Econ. Jrnl. 41 404 Mr. Keynes thus tends to over-exalt the rate of interest at the expense of K.
over-expect v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈspɛkt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈspɛkt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻkˈspɛk(t)/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛkˈspɛk(t)/
ΚΠ
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xxii. 213 Deceive not thyself by overexpecting happinesse in the married estate.
1960 C. M. Solley & G. Murphy Devel. Perceptual World viii. 164 It was anticipated that the subjects would come to overexpect the rewarded profile in the first experiment and the ‘neutral’ profile in the second experiment.
over-explain v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈspleɪn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈspleɪn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻkˈspleɪn/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛkˈspleɪn/
ΚΠ
1828 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pelham (ed. 2) I. xxxvii. 322 My uncle had this great virtue of an expositor, that he never over-explained.
1911 Philos. Rev. 20 576 There has been a tendency to overexplain unjustifiably the facts and processes of development on account of the real scarcity of significant facts.
2002 Glamour July 32/1 Trying to over-explain may anger your colleague. If they confront you, admit you were wrong and promise it won't happen again.
over-fag v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfaɡ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfæɡ/
now rare
ΚΠ
1808 Sketches of Character I. x. 244 He had taken care not to over-fag himself, and when he came to the bottom, could address you with the utmost calmness.
1842 G. Barmby Promethean Mar. 54/1 To prevent the rich from overworking the poor, the master from overfagging the man.
1905 T. Sanderson Let. 2 May in K. Neilson Brit. & Last Tsar (1995) i. i. 21 Do not over-fag yourself in the quest for information.
† over-fancy v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1635 Bp. of Peterborough in Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 275 Your Lordship..might well judge me otherwise, if I should over-fancy that way.
over-fatten v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfatn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfætn/
ΚΠ
1829 J. Bentham Justice & Codification Petitions iii. 76 Some judges..sit at ease, other judges overwork and overfatten themselves.
1988 Newsday (N.Y.) (Nexis) 6 Apr. 14 The federal beef grading system that encourages producers to overfatten their cattle.
over-fee v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfiː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfi/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-blame,..-fee.
1998 Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram (Nexis) 15 July (Metro section) 3 We're not wanting to overfee people, we're just wanting to be equitable.
over-feel v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfiːl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfil/
ΚΠ
1648 Bp. J. Hall Select Thoughts 63 Nor yet so tender that we shuld overfeel it.
1979 I. Howe & K. Libo How we Lived vi. 261 I never wanted to overdress, overfeel or overact. I just wanted to be the real thing, so to speak.
over-fix v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɪks/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɪks/
ΚΠ
1694 W. Westmacott Θεολοβοτονολογια 16 Food..may beget unnatural heats, even to the calcining and overfixing the balsamical and nutritive juices.
1966 J. R. Baker Cytol. Technique (ed. 5) vi. 168 The cells lying on the surface..are ‘overfixed’ by the osmium.
over-flatten v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈflatn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈflætn/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-flatten.
1986 Toronto Star (Nexis) 27 Sept. e14 It is better to overflatten it slightly so when it dries out a bit indoors it will be just right.
1992 Yoga Jrnl. Jan. 36/3 Those who have overflattened the lumbar spine.
over-flog v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈflɒɡ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈflɑɡ/
ΚΠ
1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers II. xvi. 231 They'll mulct me of my Spaniards, all the same as if I'd overflogged the lubber.
1850 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis (1885) II. 11 Endeavouring to enlist him in quarrels..for overflogging his son.
1992 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 57 713/2 Many fellow writers think village themes have been ‘over-flogged’ by the first generation of Nigerian novelists.
over-force v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɔːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɔrs/
ΚΠ
1859 A. Watson Amer. Home Garden in Sci. Amer. 30 Apr. 286/1 Nursery plants, if they have been over-forced or transplanted with the leaf.
1943 Polit. Sci. Q. 58 21 The question need not be over-forced. The choice is not necessarily between absolutes—everything or nothing.
over-furnish v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfəːnɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfərnɪʃ/
ΚΠ
1697 J. S. Innocent Epicure 9 When, though unask'd, th' eventwill easily show Your willing Chap will over-furnish you.
1946 E. Linklater Private Angels (1958) 51 It is possible to over-furnish either a room or your life.
1978 M. Kenyon Deep Pocket iii. 32 The sitting-room..was over-furnished with an accumulation of..bits and pieces.
over-gamble v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡambl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡæmb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1898 Daily News 22 Apr. 7/3 I think it is good enough, but I say—don't go and over-gamble the shares.
1997 Newsday (N.Y.) (Nexis) 23 July ii. b65 Fitz is one of those shrinks with a number of problems. He overeats, overdrinks, oversmokes, overgambles.
over-goad v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡəʊd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡoʊd/
ΚΠ
1853 C. Dickens Bleak House xvi. 157 The blinded oxen, over-goaded, over-driven, never guided, run into wrong places and are beaten out.
1927 T. H. Dickinson Outl. Contemp. Drama ix. 137 Even the best works of French stage art during the contemporary period either lack imagination or overgoad the imagination and weary it.
† over-grace v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1619 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher King & No King i. sig. B1 You thinke to ouer-grace mee with The marriage of your Sister.
1864 Webster's Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. (citing Beaumont & Fletcher) Overgrace, to honor above measure. [Also in later dictionaries.]]
over-grasp v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡrɑːsp/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈɡrasp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡræsp/
ΚΠ
1613 R. Dallington Aphorismes Ciuill & Militarie v. i. 292 For to ouer-graspe straineth and weakeneth the sinewes, and forceth the hand to let fall what before it held fast.
1695 J. Collier Misc. upon Moral Subj. 99 Confidence is apt to expose it self; to over-grasp Business; to talk without thinking.
1999 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 93 626/2 People tend to overgrasp for these scarce resources in order to be free from a terrifying dependence on fate.
over-gratify v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡratᵻfʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡrædəˌfaɪ/
ΚΠ
1755 Man No. 10. 4 The drunkard, who seeks his pleasure in drink, over-gratifies his appetite.
1963 Jrnl. Health & Human Behavior 4 288/1 Rather than being deprived of affection, she was almost overgratified.
over-gun v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡʌn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡən/
ΚΠ
1894 C. N. Robinson Brit. Fleet 229 The prevailing tendency to ‘over-gun’ our ships seriously affected their efficiency.
1999 Re: on High Capacity Mags in misc.survivalism (Usenet newsgroup) 22 Mar. The Europeans do seem to seem [sic] obsessed with not ‘overgunning’ themselves though.
over-handicap v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhandᵻkap/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhændiˌkæp/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-handicapped.
1994 Re: Would you support this Organization? in bit.listserv.autism (Usenet newsgroup) 17 Apr. Psychoanalysts are using an approach..that is over-handicapping autistic people.
over-harass v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈharəs/
,
/ˌəʊvəhəˈras/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərhəˈræs/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈhɛrəs/
ΚΠ
1842 E. S. Wortley Maiden of Moscow 112 When toiled their brawnier comrades on, These sank, o'erharassed and undone.
1998 Re: New Hobby…Help Needed in rec.aquaria.misc (Usenet newsgroup) 23 Apr. Get 1 male to 3 females, as the males can tend to overharass females if the ratio is in their favor.
over-hate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈheɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈheɪt/
ΚΠ
1597 J. Lyly Woman in Moone iii. ii Come not out, least you seeming Iealious make her ouer hate you.
1995 Re: Christina to Ed, Part II in WCENTER (Electronic mailing list) 11 Apr. Writers who..either overvalue and overlove what they write, or overhate it and overly undervalue it.
over-help v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɛlp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhɛlp/
ΚΠ
1877 C. M. Yonge Womankind (ed. 2) xii. 87 Allotment of districts by the clergyman is requisite, to prevent some families from being overhelped.
1989 Mind 98 461 Rewards (why altruism spreads). 1. A helps B. 2. B helps (or overhelps) A.
over-honour v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɒnə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɑnər/
ΚΠ
1637 Bp. J. Hall Serm. Excester 70 in Remedy Prophanenesse The other extreme is of them, who do so over-honour the dead, that they abridge some parts of them of a due sepelition.
1836 T. Doubleday Caius Marius ii. iii. 28 Not daring To think I am o'er-honour'd, or that Rome, Who warreth with the proud, could flatter Marius.
1992 M. Riva Marlene Dietrich 218 The Belle Aurore's ‘little girls' room’ was really over-honored by Dietrich's presence.
over-horse v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɔːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhɔrs/
ΚΠ
1813 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1838) X. 77 Great care must be taken..not to overhorse any [regiments]. Too many horses are worse than too few.
1996 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. (Nexis) 17 Oct. 5 She has felt frustration when a parent overhorses a child—the animal is too hot or too young for the handler.
over-humanize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhjuːmənʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈ(h)juməˌnaɪz/
ΚΠ
1900 Westm. Gaz. 12 Mar. 3/1 Perhaps he somewhat over-humanized the part, but at any rate he left a strong impression of a powerful, manly, brave human being.
1934 M. Sherwood Undercurrents of Infl. Eng. Romantic Poetry vi. 251 Ops, the mother of the gods,..is overhumanized into nothingness.
over-hurry v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhʌri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhəri/
ΚΠ
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. lii. 321 My cousin, her spirits over-hurried, was ready to faint in her grandmother's arms.
1808 S. T. Coleridge Let. to F. Jeffrey in Lett. (1895) 536 An honest gentleman..having over-hurried the business through overweening of my simplicity and carelessness.
1992 Summary of World Broadcasts Pt. 1: Former U.S.S.R. (B.B.C.) (Nexis) 1 Aug. SU/1448/A1/1 Employees of the security service..over-hurried him and the opportunity to change clothes for the journey was given only after persistent demands.
over-import v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪmˈpɔːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻmˈpɔrt/
ΚΠ
1866 Galaxy 15 Nov. 713 It has been stated that our woolen mills have been over-producing. The truth is, the nation has been over-importing.
1952 Internat. Affairs 28 327 In the United Kingdom we also have been over-importing in 1951.
over-ink v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪŋk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɪŋk/
ΚΠ
1927 Observer 12 June 9 The literary man..is apt to over-ink his pictures of contemporary morals.
2002 Printing World (Nexis) 2 Dec. 23 His argument was that pages are being overinked and then varnished.
over-instruct v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈstrʌkt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈstrək(t)/
ΚΠ
1827 J. F. Cooper Prairie I. xii. 176 Here was I doing well, only a little out of sorts with over instructing the young.
1933 G. A. Plimpton Educ. of Shakespeare ii. 23 His book is called the Instruction of a christen woman, and his fear lest the woman be overinstructed is obvious.
over-interpret v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈtəːprᵻt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈtərprət/
ΚΠ
1863 Spectator 21 Nov. 2772/2 One is always in danger of over-interpreting the drift of the aggregate.
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.
1989 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 10 June 1573/1 Sometimes an anxious mother perceives illness that is not there or overinterprets the periodic breathing and normal movements of a healthy baby.
over-invest v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈvɛst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈvɛst/
ΚΠ
1865 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 28 543 This country exceeded its means, over-invested, or rather entangled too large an amount of capital in inchoate enterprises out of its reach.
1990 J. Bradshaw Homecoming i. 13 One..trusts in a gullible and naive way, clinging to others and overinvesting esteem in them.
over-involve v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈvɒlv/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈvɔlv/
,
/ˌoʊvərᵻnˈvɑlv/
ΚΠ
1939 Ecology 20 420 Few of the speakers became over-involved in terminology.
1997 A. Fenigstein in M. McCallum & W. E. Piper Psychol. Mindedness v. 124 By heightening the salience and subjective importance of the self, and overinvolving the self in the social inference process.
† over-itch v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1599 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum (1632) 93 So huge a multitude of..works as in this over~ranke age mens finger over-itching have produced.
† over-job v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iv. xvii. 302 Having over-jobbed his jobberies as legislator deputed to the Universe by the pure electors of Pocket Breeches.
over-laud v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɔːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɔd/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈlɑd/
ΚΠ
1833 E. Bulwer-Lytton Godolphin I. xxv. 302 You think the world does not overlaud Lady Erpingham.
1928 Geogr. Jrnl. 71 199 Mr. Chatterton continually commits the fault of over-lauding his hero, while labelling all Smith's associates as cowards, drones, and rabble of the worst type.
over-linger v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɪŋɡə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɪŋɡər/
ΚΠ
1642 T. Fuller Holy State 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.
2002 www.grandiose.com 28 Oct. (O.E.D. Archive) One only warns one's readers not to overlinger upon the photoengravure of young Penelope Windsor-Smythe.
over-list v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɪst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɪst/
ΚΠ
1665 in J. H. Trumbull Public Rec. Colony of Connecticut (1852) II. 23 Mr. Edward Palmes appeales to this Court..for being ouerlisted by James Rogers and Cary Latham.
1995 R. Dingwall & T. Durkin in A. A. S. Zuckerman & R. Cranston Reform of Civil Procedure 375 In order to compensate for door-of-the-court settlements, courts overlist to avoid judicial downtime.
† over-loathe v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 187 But I..feare to over lode or over loath the Reader.
over-magnify v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmaɡnᵻfʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmæɡnəˌfaɪ/
ΚΠ
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 28 The Chymistes..overmagnifying their preparations. View more context for this quotation
1984 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 55 421 Burke is inclined to overmagnify the significance and originality of his own claims to truth.
† over-marl v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. 345 There is little danger of overmarling such sorts of lands.
over-meddle v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɛdl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɛd(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1885 Cassell's Encycl. Dict. V. i Overmeddle.
1994 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant (Nexis) 12 June e1 He never did settle on a GM [sc. general manager] he could trust. So he over-meddled.
over-mix v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɪks/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɪks/
ΚΠ
1630 J. Taylor Kicksey Winsey in All Workes 41 So may a Serieant haue some honest tricks, If too much knauery doth not ouermix.
1697 T. Creech tr. Manilius Five Bks. iv. 22 Little Pleasures over-mixt with Woe.
1999 BBC Good Food July 41 Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.
over-moisten v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɔɪsn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɔɪsn/
ΚΠ
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §422 It will over-Moisten the Roots, so as the Wormes will eate them.
1891 W. Falconer Mushrooms viii. 71 The greatest vigilance should be observed to guard against overmoistening the manure.
2002 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 18 Apr. 1 c Add water until the bedding is as moist as a wrung-out sponge. (Be careful not to overmoisten!).
over-mortgage v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɔːɡɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɔrɡɪdʒ/
ΚΠ
1861 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip xii, in Cornhill Mag. May 579 [He]..was aquainted with a thousand queer things..whose estates were over-mortgaged; who was over-building himself, [etc.].
1891 19th Cent. Feb. (title) Overmortgaging the land.
1990 Ethics 100 551 I have..acted in reliance upon that expectation, hopelessly overmortgaging my house against the ‘security’ of that expectation.
over-multiply v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmʌltᵻplʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈməltəˌplaɪ/
ΚΠ
1830 R. H. Dana Poems & Prose Writings II. 355 Circumstances, however well fitted to move us when taken singly, by being over-multiplied lose their power.
1845 Littell's Living Age 15 Nov. 339/2 We are of opinion, that such lines cannot well be over multiplied.
1957 World Politics 9 508 Any larger odd number overmultiplies relationships, and invites an attempt at world conquest.
over-nourish v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnʌrɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnərɪʃ/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈnʊrɪʃ/
ΚΠ
1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia sig. c3v Neither over-nourishing or extenuating the body, but preserving it in such state as before.
1900 J. K. Jerome Three Men on Bummel xiii. 293 The savage..we never need fear his dying out. On the other hand, it seems unwise to overnourish him.
1992 C. Shields Republic of Love (1993) xxxv. 349 His long peaceful marriage had somehow overnourished him.
over-nurse v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnəːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnərs/
ΚΠ
1731 E. Thomas Pylades & Corinna p. v [She] being an only child was over Nursed.
1857 T. Martin Aladdin i. i. 29 Thou Shouldst, like a lap-dog over-nursed and cloy'd, Tremble with mere distrust when I but stroke thee.
1990 Nursing 8–21 Feb. 10/1 Nurses should avoid taking over all the patient's choices and decisions—overnursing her.
over-objectify v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərəbˈdʒɛktᵻfʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəbˈdʒɛktəˌfaɪ/
,
/ˌoʊvərɑbˈdʒɛktəˌfaɪ/
ΚΠ
1890 Athenæum 12 Apr. 462 Mr. Spencer's attempt to ‘over-objectify’ logic.
1966 MLN 81 550 Pointing is to encapsule something: strength, mind, life. It is to overobjectify, to overformalize.
over-oblige v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈblʌɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈblaɪdʒ/
ΚΠ
1635 J. Reynolds Triumphs Gods Revenge (new ed.) v. 176 My duety over obliging mee to esteeme my Mothers requests as commands, I therefore adventure thee this Letter.
1658 F. Osborne Advice to Son in Wks. (1673) 80 If it be dangerous to over-oblige a King, it is mortal in relation to a Free-State.
1922 H. Granville-Barker in Observer 1 Jan. in S. Wells Shakespeare in Theatre (1997) 191 Why..let one pair of cross-fastened yellow stockings (Shakespeare asked no more, for all that Mr. Duncan Grant so over-obliged him!) lure you into those skipping atrocities?
over-organize v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɔːɡənʌɪz/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɔːɡn̩ʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɔrɡəˌnaɪz/
ΚΠ
1896 Westm. Gaz. 12 Oct. 3/1 He..perhaps over-organized the new diocese. But he was an ideal bishop.
1991 Sociol. of Educ. 64 209/2 Teachers have been accused of overorganizing children's lives.
over-pack v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpak/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpæk/
ΚΠ
1831 Mrs. Davy in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1839) X. 137 Just..like a trunk that you are trying to over-pack, but it won't do, the things start out in your face.
1995 Mixmag May 5/3 We never over-pack our nights, one reason is because in London..if you get caught over the top once you get fined and if caught twice you lose your licence.
over-pamper v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpampə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpæmpər/
ΚΠ
1633 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 3) §cviii Who would over-pamper a body for the wormes?
1883 H. C. Merivale Rorke's Drift in White Pilgrim 191 O'erpampered with each peaceful glory, Won, step by step, through toil and skill, We traced our fathers' martial story.
1988 Black Amer. Lit. Forum 22 520 This ‘horseman’..was over-pampered with things of pleasure on the eve of his suicide.
† over-peacock v. Obsolete Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1879 G. Campbell White & Black in U.S. 29 American women—those who are not accustomed to spend money in an ostentatious way in Europe, and to over-dress and over-peacock there.
over-pepper v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɛpə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɛpər/
ΚΠ
1655 T. Moffett & C. Bennet Healths Improvem. v. 35 All things by miscookery over-peppered.
1779 E. Wolff En Dansk og Engelsk Ord-bog at Forpepperer To overpepper, pepper too much, embitter.
1991 D. V. Coers John Steinbeck as Propagandist iv. 88 Restaurant cooks oversalt and overpepper the food they serve to the invaders.
over-pet v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɛt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɛt/
ΚΠ
1894 W. H. Hunt in Daily News 11 June 8/2 The rage for over-petting the workman in this day.
1928 M. B. Sayles Probl. Child at Home i. ii. 25 Children who are thus indulged, over-praised and overpetted, who receive the continuous, concentrated attention of the adults who surround them.
† over-plum v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 26 Dec. 2/1 He made his first mistake in overfilling his pit. He made his second in over-plumming his Christmas pudding.
over-point v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɔɪnt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɔɪnt/
ΚΠ
1877 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 407 It is only eighty 12mo. pages, and about twenty too long, and the rest over-pointed.
1977 Gramophone Dec. 1067/3 Adopting too slow a tempo and over-pointing phrases whose true sense of mysterious restlessness emerges only if played exactly as marked.
over-polish v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɒlɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɑlɪʃ/
ΚΠ
1725 A. Blackwall Sacred Classics I. i. ii. 69 A judicious ear that wou'd be offended with a style over-polish'd.
1999 R. Adler Gone 94 Writers, with even the slightest streak of perfectionism, polished and polished, and, often, wrecked good pieces by overpolishing them.
over-possess v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəpəˈzɛs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərpəˈzɛs/
ΚΠ
1744 R. Mead Disc. Plague (ed. 9) Pref. p. xl Wrong Notions..may sometimes over-possess their minds.
1995 Revelations of Awareness (Cosmic Awareness Communications) No. 2 No entity wants to be overpossessed by a spouse, by a chosen loved one.
† over-preface v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1610 J. Healey tr. Theophrastus Characters (1636) 3 Therefore not to over-preface to that which must be sayd; I will begin with those that delight in cavilling.
over-promise v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprɒmɪs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈprɑməs/
ΚΠ
1677 R. Gilpin Dæmonol. Sacra (1867) 3 They cannot but check themselves, for over-promising themselves in their adventures, with that of Zophar, ‘Vain man would be wise.’
1895 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 6 87 It is this weakness on the part of average mankind which tempts the ordinary leader to over-promise for the measures he is advocating.
1989 Marketing Week 17 Mar. 15/2 It hasn't overpromised like some of the high street retailers and the economy is moving in its favour.
over-prove v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpruːv/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpruv/
ΚΠ
1680 W. Allen Perswasive to Peace & Unity (ed. 2) 46 I might both amplifie, and exemplifie this, and over-prove it, in shewing how [etc.].
1880 Spectator 25 Dec. 1655/2 Men of late have overproved everything so much.
1991 W. Sheed Baseball & Lesser Sports 123 Robinson proved, over-proved, under unrepeatable pressure, that he could break your concentration before you could break his.
over-provoke v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprəˈvəʊk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərprəˈvoʊk/
,
/ˌoʊvərproʊˈvoʊk/
ΚΠ
1631 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 2) (2nd state) §cxxxvi It grieves him to bee over-provoked to our punishment.
1704 J. Swift Tale of Tub iv The other could not forbear, being over-provoked at the affected seriousness of Peter's countenance.
2002 Waterfront News (Florida) Oct. 10/1 Neither of them care to over-provoke waterfront dwellers, who sometimes assert their private property rights belligerently.
over-puff v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpʌf/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpəf/
ΚΠ
1823 J. Jekyll Let. 12 Dec. (1894) 138 The boys..amuse one with their theatrical accounts of Kean and Young and the extraordinary acting of a little girl named Fisher. But the new Juliet is over puffed, I find.
1939 W. Scott Jrnl. (1950) 466 I must take care he does not in civility over-puff my little assemblage of curiosities.
over-race v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈreɪs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈreɪs/
ΚΠ
1896 Westm. Gaz. 15 Sept. 7/2 Owners are now encouraged to ruinously over-race their three-year-olds.
2000 Canberra Sunday Times 11 June 81/4 He was concerned that Vemante tends to over-race and might not stay longer trips.
† over-rapturize v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1889 A. T. Pask Eyes of Thames 207 Americans don't over-rapturize much now-a-days.
over-regulate v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛɡjᵿleɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrɛɡjəˌleɪt/
ΚΠ
1881 Spectator 1 Jan. 11/1 Her poems..reflect too much the monotonous cadences of her own musical but over-regulated voice.
1979 Jrnl. Southern Afr. Stud. 6 54 Perhaps the Council had learnt a lesson about attempting to over-regulate the life and movements of African women.
over-rehearse v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈhəːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈhərs/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈhərs/
ΚΠ
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.
1999 B. G. Shapiro Reinventing Drama 190 It is just as important for actors not to overrehearse or rehearse too close to a performance.
over-relax v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈlaks/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈlæks/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈlæks/
ΚΠ
1751 T. Stack tr. R. Mead Med. Precepts ii. 70 That very warmth..becoming prejudicial, by over-relaxing the fibres.
1984 O. Keepnews Bill Evans Sessions in View Within (1988) vi. 175 I..feared that a steady dose of slower tempos might perhaps overrelax the group to the point of lethargy.
over-represent v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərɛprᵻˈzɛnt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌrɛprəˈzɛnt/
ΚΠ
1849 Amer. Whig Rev. Mar. 290/2 The next year giving..to the one that was over-represented a number less.
1881 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 44 146 Both the dangers above referred to, viz., (1) of the majority in the constituencies being misrepresented in the assembly, and (2) of its being over-represented there.
1987 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 52 393 Our subsample overrepresents those with children.
over-restore v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈstɔː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈstɔr/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈstɔr/
ΚΠ
a1878 G. G. Scott Lect. Mediæval Archit. (1879) I. 322 The transepts, now sadly over-restored, belong to the latter half of the thirteenth century.
1995 J. M. Lindgren Preserving Hist. New Eng. vii. 138 Not only had he been criticized for overrestoring such seventeenth-century dwellings as the Revere and Nurse houses, but [etc.].
over-rev v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛv/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrɛv/
ΚΠ
1928 ‘N. Shute’ So Disdained i. 58 His pulse seemed to be over-revving badly and he was very hot.
1994 New Scientist 19 Feb. 40/1 When wheels spin as the train struggles to restart on a slippery track, motors can overrev and burn out.
over-reward v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈwɔːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈwɔrd/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈwɔrd/
ΚΠ
1656 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa V. v. ii. 111 Onely to acquaint me your mercy is, which has in that one performance so over rewarded the duty of the service I have pay'd you.
1854 F. T. Palgrave Birth of Art in Idyls & Songs 49 I count my aim accomplish'd—the reward That o'er-rewards the task.
1949 M. Mead Male & Female iv. 85 In a society that has so over-rewarded male positions.
over-sauce v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɔːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɔs/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈsɑs/
ΚΠ
1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece iv. 312 We had like to have over-sawc'd it [sc. the Supper] with Wine.
1998 Florida Times-Union (Electronic ed.) 31 July The usual American tendency to oversauce and overcheese anything that has an Italian-sounding ‘ini’ suffix.
over-scare v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskɛː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskɛ(ə)r/
ΚΠ
1854 L. Lloyd Scand. Adv. I. 275 Music..being considered as apt to overscare wild beasts.
2000 South Bend (Indiana) Tribune (Nexis) 2 June d4 It overscared her and for that I was sorry and apologized.
over-scent v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɛnt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɛnt/
ΚΠ
1855 Harper's Mag. Mar. 563/1 Perhaps there is not a more offensive feature of dandyism than over-scenting with high-flavored sweets.
1883 R. Broughton Belinda I. i. viii. 143 All the enormous nosegays with which her room is over-filled and over-scented.
1990 Boston Globe (Nexis) 28 Oct. a9 There are sweet moments not overscented with nostalgia, and some fine acting—not least by Elijah Wood.
over-scrub v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskrʌb/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskrəb/
ΚΠ
1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & Widows II. xxvii. 141 In her zeal for the cleanliness of her pupils, she over-scrubbed herself and them on a damp, cheerless day. The result was a violent cold.
1994 Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) (Nexis) 14 June 3 c Avoid overscrubbing the skin.
over-season v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsiːzn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsizn/
ΚΠ
a1625 J. Fletcher Pilgrim iv. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hhhhh3v/1 Had I bin over seasond with base anger, And suited all occasions to my mischiefes.
1889 Scribner's Mag. Oct. 497/1 Praise is the meat he lives on, and the dish cannot be overseasoned.
1990 D. Shekerjian Uncommon Genius i. p. xxiii The strong temptation to overseason the paragraphs with pungent, spicy detail.
over-secrete v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsᵻˈkriːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈkrit/
,
/ˌoʊvərsiˈkrit/
ΚΠ
1927 J. B. S. Haldane & J. S. 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.
1996 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93 8046/1 This APP was oversecreted from Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with a full-length APP cDNA.
over-seed v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsiːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsid/
ΚΠ
1615 W. Lawson Country Housewifes Garden (1626) 22 One could not thriue for the throng of his neighbours..like a Corne-field ouer-seeded, or a towne ouer~peopled.
1954 Bot. Gaz. 115 272/2 The area was overseeded with a mixture of 6 pounds each of alfalfa and red clover.
1974 Science 10 Mar. 910/3 The result will be a tendency to ‘overseed’ cold clouds and reduce precipitation.
over-soak v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsəʊk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsoʊk/
ΚΠ
1640 H. Mill Nights Search xliii. 216 His brains being over-soak'd, his tongue was oyl'd, And tipt with non-sense.
1794 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 84 176 They [sc. the crops] were much hurt by it, and perhaps the more so for having been before oversoaked with snow and wet.
1993 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 13 Aug. 3 If you spray the furniture directly, you might oversoak it.
over-store v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstɔː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstɔr/
ΚΠ
1586 W. Warner Albions Eng. iii. xv. 60 When their broodie Race that Isle did ouer-store, Amongst the Islands Hebredes they seeke out dwellings more.
a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) ii. ix. 208 The Ocean it self would have been long since over-stored with Fish.
1998 Re: Fast Food Toys in alt.dumpster (Usenet newsgroup) 24 Oct. It made me a worse packrat, hiding things and overstoring what ought to have been thrown out.
† over-sup v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. vii. 429 Ich, gloton..ouer-sopede at my soper... More þan my kynde myghte wel defye.
over-sweat v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈswɛt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈswɛt/
ΚΠ
?1860–9 W. M. Holcombe On Treatm., Diet, & Nursing Yellow Fever 18 Do not overheat and over-sweat your patient, do not overfeed or underfeed him.
1998 Arkansas Democrat-Gaz. (Nexis) 3 July w3 There'll be plenty of beat-the-heat treats like cold watermelon and lemonade on hand, too, so don't fret if you oversweat.
over-teach v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtiːtʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtitʃ/
ΚΠ
1582 J. Yates Castell of Courtesie 47 Yet some will say, that Fennill is to flatter: They ouer teache, then tongues too much do clatter.
1875 Scribner's Monthly Apr. 771/1 To encourage curiosity concerning as wide a range of subjects as possible, and not to overteach.
1985 Man 20 352/1 [This] has perhaps overtaught us to respect the ironic and sometimes grisly reversals of overt intentions.
† over-thick v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1631 G. Markham Way to get Wealth (1668) iii. ii. v. 127 If you draw a course thred from a Wooll of a fine staple, it will then so much overthick, that you must take away a great part of the substance of your wooll in flocks.
1720 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth VI. 92 The Water..over-thicks my Cloth.
over-throng v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈθrɒŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈθrɔŋ/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈθrɑŋ/
ΚΠ
1860 P. H. Hayne Avolio 70 Thy sweet eyes, And happy smiles, and fulness of all light Of genial beauty, overthrong my sight With memories of another.
1918 V. S. Howard tr. S. Lagerlöft Holy City 19 When the courts were overthronged with people the huge copper gates closed.
over-till v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɪl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɪl/
ΚΠ
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 555 Nothing is lesse profitable, and expedient, than to labor a ground exceeding much, and to ouer-til it.
1929 Econ. Geogr. 5 297/2 Though many fairly fertile spots of the region have scarcely been touched.., accessible areas have been overtilled and overgrazed.
over-vilify v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɪlᵻfʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɪləˌfaɪ/
ΚΠ
1651 R. Baxter Plain Script. Proof Infants Church-membership & Baptism 345 I quickly found too many over~valuing it, and some overvilifying it.
2001 Orlando Sentinel (Nexis) 13 Oct. e6 If this type of music is done too often..it can create..a tendency to overvilify our enemies.
over-worry v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwʌri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwəri/
ΚΠ
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. xvi. 151 Saying to himself when he is in danger of being over-worried, ‘I see land at last!’
1868 Putnam's Mag. Nov. 514/1 Insanity..is very rarely met with except among those classes who over-work and over-worry their brains.
1999 N.Y. Times 26 Jan. d7/5 One doesn't want to overworry women, but it is better to be relaxed.
over-worship v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwəːʃɪp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwərʃəp/
ΚΠ
1635 A. Stafford Femall Glory (1860) Ep. Ded. 60 As we cannot over-worship the True Deity, so wee cannot over-praise a true Piety.
1983 Manch. Guardian Weekly (Nexis) 9 Oct. 10 The Prime Minister tends to be either underestimated or overworshipped.
(ii) With the past participles of verbs whose other parts appear not to occur with over- at all (cf. sense 2b(b)(iii)).
over-agitated v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈadʒᵻteɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈædʒəˌteɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions iii. vii. 290 What is fit to be determined in a business so over-agitated.
1998 Washington Post (Nexis) 29 Dec. a1 They feel awake without feeling overagitated.
over-bitten v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbɪtn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbɪtn/
ΚΠ
1851 J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. App. viii. 364 They [sc. plates]..are over-bitten, they are hastily drawn.
1880 Scribner's Monthly Aug. 587/1 If the plate is over-bitten, the lines can be made paler with a burnisher.
† over-chafed v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1561 J. Hollybush tr. H. Brunschwig Most Excellent Homish Apothecarye f. 21 It is good for the stomake that is ouerchafed.
1610 R. Tofte Honours Academie 19 That Plaindor, being ouerchaft with this fierce amorous rage, His lippes vpon the cheekes and mouth, of his faire Saint did gage.
† over-chased v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xviii. 830 Nature will not be ouer chased.
over-corned v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɔːnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɔrnd/
ΚΠ
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 317. ⁋4 Small Beer sour. Beef over-corned.
1876 J. Grant One of Six Hundred x. 90 She's a blood mare..over-corned a bit.
1953 M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 204/2 Over-corned, of a horse: overfed with corn.
over-cumbered v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌmbəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəmbərd/
ΚΠ
1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 620 To be too careful, and ouercombred about the iudgements of mortal Men.
1849 R. Montgomery Christian Life 102 The very hairs of men are number'd, Why then be with woes be o'ercumber'd?
1931 R. Tagore Relig. of Man ii. 108 Some of them may have their æsthetic value to me and others philosophical significance overcumbered by exuberant distraction of legendary myths.
over-delighted v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈlʌɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈlaɪdᵻd/
,
/ˌoʊvərdiˈlaɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1613 G. Markham Second Pt. First Bk. Eng. Arcadia 80 The wondring Sheepheards stand gazing vpon him; and are so ouer-delighted with the excellency of his rare shew, that..they stand, as it were, lost in their wonder.
1802 R. Southey New Lett. (1965) I. 273 Nor will you be over-delighted.
1996 Q Jan. 110/3 Sections of the audience proved sluggish and unimaginative, visibly none too vibed up by the new songs..and over-delighted by anything arpeggiated and in 6/8 time.
† over-dunged v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) 533 As a field starueth, if it be not dunged at all, so it burneth if it be ouer-dunged.
a1706 J. Evelyn Direct. for Gardiner (1932) 69 Water over dunged brings a black smutt on orange leaves.
† over-famed v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1646 T. Fuller Andronicus i. xiv. sig. Civ The city..was instantly conquered, (whose strength was much overfam'd).
† over-fawned v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1602 N. Breton Mothers Blessing xliii And neuer be with flatterers ouerfawnd.
over-iodized v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈʌɪədʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈaɪəˌdaɪzd/
rare
ΚΠ
1878 W. de W. Abney Treat. Photogr. (1881) 62 The solution is ‘over-iodized’; that is, it is super-saturated with silver iodide.
over-mucked v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmʌkt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈməkt/
rare
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-mucked.
† over-over-coloured v. Obsolete Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1868 Dublin Univ. Mag. 72 127/2 The travelling histrionics commemorated, or rather over-over-coloured by Crabbe.
over-pained v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpeɪnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpeɪnd/
ΚΠ
1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. B3 When thou art ouer-pained with passions.
1925 D. Ross tr. Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics (1998) iv. iii. 91 [The proud man] will be neither over-joyed by good fortune nor over-pained by evil.
over-preoccupied v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprɪˈɒkjᵿpʌɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərpriˈɑkjəˌpaɪd/
ΚΠ
1952 Econ. Hist. Rev. 5 54 Self-interest seemed to demand the increase of a population not over-preoccupied with agricultural pursuits.
1989 Econ. Jrnl. 99 1232 There is a tendency to be vague, assertive and over-preoccupied with semantics.
over-protracted v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprəˈtraktᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərprəˈtræktəd/
,
/ˌoʊvərproʊˈtræktəd/
ΚΠ
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. ix, in Poet. Wks. (1888–94) X. 11 If petulant remonstrance made appeal, Unseasonable, o'erprotracted.
1998 Evening Standard (Nexis) 2 Oct. 50 The rudiments of the warfare, with Ku Klux Klannish figures in wizard hats who erupt from billowing sheets, are overprotracted.
† over-ravished v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1691 J. Dunton Voy. round World III. x. 375 We were so far from being over-ravish'd with joy at the Sight, that we took it for some inchanted Castle.
† over-retched v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1640 J. Ball Answer to Iohn Can (1642) i. 12 Metaphoricall speeches must not be over-retched.
over-sated v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈseɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈseɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
a1822 P. B. Shelley Cyclops in Posthumous Poems (1824) 350 I'm..With the young feast oversated.
1998 Yale Herald (Electronic ed.) 16 Jan. By the time we finished the dish we were oversated.
over-settled v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɛtld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɛd(ə)ld/
ΚΠ
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) ii. xxvi. 82 Be not over-setled in a purpose about things of this nature.
1948 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 42 157 Later this region was over-estimated and over-settled for agricultural purposes.
over-smitten v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsmɪtn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsmɪtn/
ΚΠ
1817 J. Keats Poems 73 When many lines I'd written, Though with their grace I was not oversmitten, Yet..I thought I'd better [etc.].
1993 People (Electronic ed.) 15 Feb. 28 He..discovers that a nurse, lamentably oversmitten with him, has followed him down from Cambridge.
† over-stalled v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1629 J. Gaule Practique Theories Christs Predict. 153 That we are either vnacquainted, or ouerstalled with it.
† over-stent v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1794 Har'st Rig xlviii. 18 Frae this they tell, as how the rent O' sic a room was overstent.
over-stowed v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstəʊd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstoʊd/
ΚΠ
1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 17 I have heard as how you came by your lame foot, by having your upper-decks overstowed with liquor.
1840 E. A. Poe Tales of Grotesque & Arabesque I. 210 It was a trifle to a tight sea-boat like myself not overstowed.
over-technicized v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɛknᵻsʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɛknəˌsaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1953 Mind 62 424 It is a joy to go back to the beginnings of a subject which has since become over-technicised.
† over-tippled v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 493 Richard the last Abbot..being ouer-tipled, as it were, with wealth.
over-tutored v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtjuːtəd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈtʃuːtəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈt(j)udərd/
ΚΠ
1691 J. Norris Pract. Disc. Divine Subj. To Rdr. sig. A6v They suffer in their Morals by being over-tutour'd, as some Men do in their Health by being over-Physick'd.
1879 M. Arnold Pref. to Mixed Ess. in Internat. Jrnl. Ethics (1923) 33 277 To feel oneself over-tutored, over-governed, sate upon..by authority.
1927 R. A. Taylor Leonardo ii. vii. 253 Children not overtutored are always truly princely in manner.
over-vexed v.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɛkst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɛkst/
ΚΠ
1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 280 Ionas was overjoyed when the gourd sprang up, and over-vexed when it withered.
a1668 W. Davenant Distresses iii. i, in Wks. (1673) 46 It seems my man is not o'er-vex'd with cares, For I believe he's fast asleep.
1924 D. C. Seitz Joseph Pulitzer xvi. 386 Over-vexed by the Panama prosecution and the whooping cough, Mr. Pulitzer did not return to America during 1909.
† over-withered v. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1607 J. Carpenter Plaine Mans Spirituall Plough 198 Devoured of birds, or over withered with the Sun.
1812 J. Sinclair Acct. Syst. Husb. Scotl. I. 395 The side next the ground is damaged, and discoloured, the upper side over-withered, and the fine juices of the hay evaporated.
(b) Forming adjectives. Such adjectives are freely used as plural nouns after the (see the adj. 23).
(i) With simple adjectives.These appear already in Old English and the cognate languages. In Old English nearly 30 examples are recorded, including over-cold adj., overfat adj., overfull adj., overgreedy adj., over-high adj., overloud adj., over-mickle adj., overmoody adj., over-old adj., over-rank adj., and obsolete oferǣte, oferetol, ofersprecol, oferglenged, ofermōdlīc, etc. In Old English these are treated editorially as true compounds, though in Old English and Middle English over was usually written separately, and its use began to be extended beyond the words handed down from Old English. Since c1500, the tendency has been to treat over as a movable element which can be prefixed at will to any adjective; and in Scottish and northern English dialects, where ower, owre is the regular equivalent of Standard English too, it is always written as a separate word (cf. over adv. 11a). In literary English it is usually hyphenated, except in a small number of combinations of ancient standing and frequent use, which are usually written as single words: e.g. overfond adj., overfull adj., overmuch adj., etc. But even in literary English, 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 (see over and above prep. 2).The more important adjectives of this type are treated as main entries: see overabundant adj., overactive adj., over-anxious adj., etc.Cf. also overly adv.
over-abstemious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əbˈstiːmɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌæbˈstimiəs/
,
/ˌoʊvərəbˈstimiəs/
ΚΠ
1677 R. Gilpin Dæmonol. Sacra (1867) 124 Timothy was so in his great pains and over-abstemious life, to the wasting of his strength.
1905 J. S. Morton Illustr. Hist. Nebraska I. viii. 291/1 Just the pretentious, windy, verbose, and not over-abstemious politician, between whom and Morton mutual dislike and hostility were inevitable.
over-accurate adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈakjᵿrət/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈækjərət/
ΚΠ
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 240 Mr. Selden was not over accurate in copying the Inscription.
1896 Mind 5 561 The chief source of disappointment..is likely to be the inadequate and not over-accurate treatment given to Bacon and Locke.
1970 Math. of Computation 24 124 We have used over-accurate approximations for the derivatives.
over-ambitious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)amˈbɪʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌæmˈbɪʃəs/
ΚΠ
?1655 R. Baron Mirza Argt. sig. A7 Yet (like most mean men hoisted to extraordinary preferment,) he grew so over ambitious, as to aim at the Crown.
1839 N. P. Willis Bianca Visconti iii. i. 59 This o'er-ambitious Sforza Must not be Duke.
1994 Sunday Times 6 Mar. v. 11/2 The fear of either laying down rigid tramlines or failing to achieve over-ambitious targets.
over-apprehensive adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)aprᵻˈhɛnsɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌæprəˈhɛnsɪv/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌæpriˈhɛnsɪv/
ΚΠ
1634 W. Tirwhyt tr. J. L. G. de Balzac Lett. 351 The roughnesse of the season..makes mee over apprehensive to stirre out of my Chamber.
1838 W. Ware Probus I. 107 From what I have said, I fear lest you should think me over-apprehensive.
1974 Science 5 July 22/3 Very often they [sc. parents] seem to have been either simply inexperienced..; or overapprehensive; or overefficient and intrusive.
over-apt adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈapt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈæpt/
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) iii. 283 Finding her sonne ouer-apt to lay both condemnation, and execution of sorrow vpon himselfe.
1859 J. S. Knowles Virginius i. ii. 69 To thee..that hast neither eye To scan my looks, nor voice to echo me, Nor e'en an o'er-apt ear to catch my words.
2002 Entertainm. Weekly (Nexis) 14 June 90 The rather overapt comment that a 3-year-old child is ‘childlike’.
† over-barren adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1638 tr. F. Bacon Hist. Life & Death 144 A Plaine, moderately dry; But yet not over-barren, or Sandy; nor altogether without Trees, and Shade.
† over-base adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Pref. 5 All temporall..rewardes were incomparably ouer basse.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) ii. 222 Poore Erona to all this obeied, either vehemency of affection making her stoop to so ouerbase a seruitude.
over-bashful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbaʃf(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbæʃf(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1680 T. Shadwell Woman-captain iv. 49 We that come from the Camp are pretty well set, and are seldom over-bashful.
1833 T. S. Fay Crayon Sketches I. 28 One over-bashful youth is inoculated with a little becoming self-possession.
1910 Cambr. Hist. Eng. Lit. VI. 158 Ladislaus, the humble husband of the proud Honoria, Caldorio and the over-bashful Hortensio.
† over-battle adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. iii. 8 In the Church of God sometimes it commeth to passe as in ouer battle grounds, the fertile disposition whereof is good.
over-big adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbɪɡ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbɪɡ/
ΚΠ
1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie 243 The head over-big, or little, as also, over-hairy.
1671 J. Sharp Midwives Bk. vi. iii. 337 The breasts should be of a moderate size..; it is not necessary to have them over-big.
1711 E. Ward Life Don Quixote v. xvii. 327 Tho' the Wound was not o'erbig, It made him bleed like any Pig.
1926 Times 30 July 8/3 He was not a great believer in over-big concerns.
over-blind adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈblʌɪnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈblaɪnd/
ΚΠ
a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Harl. 4866) (1897) 861 (MED) Þey þat nat konne lerned be ne taght By swiche ensaumples..Me þinkeþ, certes, ouer blynde been.
1747 P. Francis Hor. Sat. i. ii. 109 Th' example's good; then keep it in thy mind, Nor to the fair one's faults be over-blind.
1946 Ld. Elton Imperial Commonw. viii. i. 338 A process..of sterilisation, conducted by men who remained overblind to the spiritual and intellectual riches of the East itself.
† over-blithe adj. Obsolete
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > merriment > [adjective] > excessively
over-blitheeOE
mad-merry1600
the mind > emotion > pleasure > cheerfulness > [adjective] > light-hearted > too light-hearted
over-blitheeOE
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lxi. 455 Oft ða oferbliðan weorðað gedrefde for ungemetlicre onettunga.
1711 J. Greenwood Ess. Pract. Eng. Gram. 196 Over-blith or (merry).
over-bookish adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbʊkɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbʊkɪʃ/
ΚΠ
1633 J. Ford 'Tis Pitty shee's Whore ii. sig. E3 You must forsake this ouer bookish humour.
1997 Scotsman (Nexis) 11 Aug. 13 This stranger who had a claim upon his mother and a crude desire to toughen up his over-bookish boy.
over-bounteous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbaʊntɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbaʊn(t)iəs/
ΚΠ
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xi. 104 Whether it were his envy, not to be over-bounteous, or that the submissness of our asking stirr'd up in him a certain pleasure of denying.
a1874 S. Dobell Balder in Poet. Wks. (1875) II. 191 Surely the Lord is cruel but to me, And over bounteous to the race of men With mercy taken from my single lot.
over-capable adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkeɪpəbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkeɪpəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie Pref. 16 Men credulous & ouer capable of such pleasing errors.
2000 Kansas City (Missouri) Star (Nexis) 17 Sept. c1 He's more than capable. In fact, he's overcapable of playing left field.
over-captious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkapʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkæpʃəs/
ΚΠ
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie iv. 24–7 His commeth to passe nowe and then by reason that men are overcaptious.
1616 T. Scot Philomythie (ed. 2) sig. B To the ouer-wise, ouer-wilfull, ouer-curious, or ouer-captious Readers.
1936 Jrnl. Mod. Hist. 8 99 Despite these possibly overcaptious remarks concerning the lack of coherent and consistent pattern, the reader will find much useful and illuminating information.
over-careless adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɛːləs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɛrləs/
ΚΠ
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy ii. i. iv. i. 209 That he be not over-careless or covetous.
1896 Harper's Mag. Jan. 182/1 He was sometimes loud and hectoring, or over-careless what he said or did.
1934 R. Suckow Folks vi. 584 It had made him both overcareless and overfastidious about his legal cases, always spending more money than he earned.
over-charitable adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃarᵻtəbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃɛrədəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
a1600 R. Hooker Answere Supplic. W. Travers (1612) 30 Sith I offended onely through an overcharitable inclination, hee conceaued good hope, when I should see the truth cleered..I would yeeld.
1673 B. Keach War with Devil 154 That Monster, who did sore rebuke, The over charitable Popish Duke Of Salva.
1978 Classical Philol. 73 365 B.'s view of the accusers..in these early cases is, rather like that of Tiberius, over-charitable.
over-childish adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃʌɪldɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃaɪldɪʃ/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-childish.
1957 E. J. Lovell in C. D. Thorpe et al. Major Eng. Romantic Poets 141 The overchildish or over pretty or feminine element in some good Wordsworth and in much poetry up to our date.
1988 Financial Times (Nexis) 8 Mar. 21 The sometimes over-childish moments of her early trivialities and excesses.
over-circumspect adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsəːkəmspɛkt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsərkəmˌspɛk(t)/
ΚΠ
a1617 S. Hieron Wks. (1620) I. 16 In the watching ouer his owne heart & in the pondering his waies no man can be ouer circumspect.
1842 H. E. Manning Serm. xi. 156 The dreary level of an over-circumspect and self-regarding life.
1941 Monumenta Nipponica 4 191 Hikoroku was not over-circumspect. ‘There is nothing to fear now that dawn has come,’ he said. ‘Please come in.’
over-clean adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkliːn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈklin/
ΚΠ
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. lviii. 363 Your riding-dress will do for the first visit. Nor let your boots be over clean.
c1806 D. Wordsworth Jrnl. (1941) I. 327 Two beds, with not over-clean bedclothes.
1962 Background 6 40 Gorer's view that early toilet training results in a rigid, overclean, meticulous and dogmatic personality.
over-complimentary adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkɒmplᵻˈmɛnt(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌkɑmpləˈmɛn(t)əri/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌkɑmpləˈmɛntri/
ΚΠ
1851 G. Borrow Lavengro III. xxii. 262 Really, young man,..you are not over complimentary.
1867 J. S. Mill Exam. Hamilton's Philos. (ed. 3) p. vii Some of the writers are..even over-complimentary.
1954 Mod. Lang. Notes 69 245 He must have felt that though over-complimentary it was fairer as a judgment on The Chances.
over-concise adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈsʌɪs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈsaɪs/
ΚΠ
1894 S. A. Brooke Tennyson xi. 396 It is concise, of course; Tennyson was always concise; but Enoch Arden is not overconcise.
1984 New Phytologist 97 539 Dale's paper is not open to the charge of being overconcise.
over-conscientious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkɒnʃɪˈɛnʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌkɑn(t)ʃiˈɛn(t)ʃəs/
ΚΠ
1835 R. M. Bird Infidel I. xiv. 170 The worthy and somewhat over-conscientious Bernal Diaz del Castillo has despatched the whole history of the first [individual] in the few vague fragments which we have prefixed to the story.
1995 Times Educ. Suppl. 10 Feb. 96/2 I think the answer lies partly in the nature of the people who work for LEAs—an overconscientious and guilt-ridden lot we are.
over-conscious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɒnʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɑnʃəs/
ΚΠ
1677 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer ii. 24 As an over-conscious Fool at a Play, by endeavouring to shew the Author's want of Wit, exposes his own to more censure.
1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick i. 3 Whenever I begin to..be over conscious of my lungs.
1990 Hist. Jrnl. 33 1009 Brissot was always over-conscious of his humble origins.
over-controversial adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkɒntrəˈvəːʃl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌkɑntrəˈvərsiəl/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌkɑntrəˈvərʃəl/
ΚΠ
1862 H. Sidgwick Let. 28 Jan. in A. Sidgwick & E. M. Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (1906) 74 It seems smashing, but he loses by being over-controversial.
1996 Re: Re: TSR D&D Religions Blasphemous & Insulting? in rec.games.frp.dnd (Usenet newsgroup) 25 Aug. I'm willing to bet money that they took their best shots at it and it came out as overcontroversial and unplayable.
over-copious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkəʊpɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkoʊpiəs/
ΚΠ
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xxviii. 234 In an argument overcopious rather then barren.
1991 Science 25 Jan. 457/1 It offered a cure for the fatal disease of over-copious magnetic-monopole production in the early universe.
over-corrupt adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəˈrʌpt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəˈrəpt/
ΚΠ
1594 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie (1632) v. 229 They taste oftentimes too much of that ouer-corrupt fountaine from which they come.
1996 Moscow News (Nexis) 16 May 19 He restarted the process of cleaning the Party from overcorrupt and decrepit cadres.
over-courteous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkəːtɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkərdiəs/
ΚΠ
a1635 T. Randolph Muses Looking-glasse ii. i. 16 in Poems (1638) The one [is] Colax, that to seeme over Courteous falls into a servile flattery, the other..is Dyscolus.
1844 C. J. Lever Tom Burke I. xiii. 98 The matter-of-fact shortness of Miss Bubbleton's not over-courteous manner.
1937 Amer. Antiq. 2 245 This over-courteous method..results in scientific purpose being supplanted by an emotional purpose.
over-covetous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌvᵻtəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəvədəs/
ΚΠ
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 90 Ouer couetous was neuer good.
1661 Princess Cloria iii. 315 Have you got so much already from your King, that you go about now to lose that, and all you have in being over covetous?
1861 A. Trollope Framley Parsonage II. i. 17 She had ceased to regard such attempts on her money-bags as unmanly or over-covetous.
1990 Independent (Nexis) 21 July (Weekend section) 29 He was not over-covetous with material possessions, although he would hurl himself into new hobbies with a total disregard for cost.
over-coy adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɔɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɔɪ/
ΚΠ
1604 in T. Greaves Songes of Sundrie Kindes sig. B3 Flora sweete wanton bee not ouer coy.
1646 H. Hammond View Exceptions to Visct. Falkland's Disc. Infallibilitie 158 I shall not be over-coy, nor make much scruple to tell you my opinion of this also.
1986 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 28 Feb. vi. 12/1 It may be Saville's full-throated, overripe direction as much as Welch's sometimes overcoy writing.
over-dainty adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdeɪnti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdeɪn(t)i/
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c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 144 Þe iiij fote brede of wose in þis glotony is for to ete ouyr-deynte metys, for þei schaldo more cost at a mele þan xl men myȝte lyue by.
1836 E. C. Jones Student of Padua ii. ii. 49 I, a beggar—A beggar living on the world's opinion!—Should not be over dainty.
1988 N. Baker Mezzanine ix. 78 The overdainty background coffee cup in the backlit panel gave way to a larger, cozier-looking brown ceramic mug.
over-deep adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdiːp/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdip/
ΚΠ
1598 J. Dickenson Greene in Conceipt To Rdr. 7 Iustly fearing the ouer deep & piercing censures of this iudiciall age.
1648 R. Sanderson Serm. II. 228 It is not any reality in the things themselves so much that troubleth the mind, as our over-deep apprehensions of them.
1978 Industr. & Labor Relations Rev. 31 540 Most undergraduates would be apt to find the water over-deep, at least in introductory courses.
over-delicious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈlɪʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈlɪʃəs/
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/ˌoʊvərdiˈlɪʃəs/
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1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 116/2 Thyse monckes ben ouer delycious.
1945 in PS (1996) 29 670/2 These persons who think that by serving a particularly rich and over-delicious meal, they are doing the Congressman a great favor.
over-dependent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈpɛnd(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈpɛnd(ə)nt/
ΚΠ
1929 C. B. Zachry Personality Adjustments School Children iv. 184 (heading) The over-dependent child.
2002 Guardian 8 Jan. (Educ. section) 4/1 Schoolphobic children were thought to be over-dependent on their mothers, spoilt or just plain awkward.
over-diligent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɪlᵻdʒ(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɪlədʒənt/
ΚΠ
1600 R. Chambers Palestina 10 He thoght that hereby hee might..enioy her companie, whome hee so entirely loued without giuing any cause of ielousie to her ouerdiligent keeper.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. ii. i. 30 The very reading of Treatises..of Melancholy has been apt to generate that Passion in the over-diligent and attentive Reader.
1956 Amer. Econ. Rev. 46 497 So far the courts have avoided both the rocks of ‘per se’ rigidity and the shoals of overdiligent inquiry.
over-distant adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɪst(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɪst(ə)nt/
ΚΠ
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre v. xiii. 266 In sensation, the object must not be over-distant from the sense.
a1921 E. S. Davison Forerunners St. Francis (1927) 255 Lyons was not overdistant from Provence, the land of the Albigensians.
over-elaborate adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈlab(ə)rət/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈlæb(ə)rət/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈlæb(ə)rət/
ΚΠ
1878–9 Proc. Royal Soc. 28 113 The actual construction of a practically useful machine..does not promise to be either difficult or over-elaborate.
2001 Daily Tel. 12 June 25/5 Only Prospero's Books, an over-elaborate riff on The Tempest, defeated Vierny's ability to make Greenaway's vision decipherable.
over-elegant adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛlᵻɡ(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛləɡənt/
ΚΠ
1869 Harper's Mag. Mar. 551/1 ‘The affair is cut-and-dried,’ replied the not overelegant Aunt Blake.
1952 Amer. Hist. Rev. 57 556 G. W. Curtis, who was thought over-elegant and condescending in his criticism of material success.
over-emotional adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈməʊʃn̩(ə)l/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈməʊʃən(ə)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈmoʊʃ(ə)nəl/
ΚΠ
1886 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 15 341 An over-emotional person perceives objects habitually as sources of feeling.
1982 A. Tyler Dinner at Homesick Restaurant iv. 114 He loved his mother dearly but there was something overemotional about her.
† over-evil adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 69 Ne is hit naut nu..swa ouer vuel se me hit makeð.
over-exquisite adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈskwɪzᵻt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈskwɪzᵻt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛkskwᵻzᵻt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɛkˈskwɪzət/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈɛkˌskwɪzət/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈɛkswəzət/
ΚΠ
1637 J. Milton Comus 13 Peace brother, be not over exquisite To cast the fashion of uncertaine evils.
1883 H. E. King Starry Sign in Bk. of Dreams 45 O over-swift and over-exquisite Passage of unfulfilled expectancy.
1961 19th-cent. Fiction 16 75 The enigmatic Marlow, who is..exasperated by excesses of romanticism, overexquisite sensibility, and failure to face truth.
over-extreme adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈstriːm/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈstriːm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪkˈstrim/
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/ˌoʊvərɛkˈstrim/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-extreme.
1971 Amer. Hist. Rev. 76 1106 The reader is now and again made uncomfortable by what seems an overextreme false modesty.
1992 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 6 June a1 Making some adjustments in some of our own overzealous, overextreme environmental regulations.
over-factious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfakʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfækʃəs/
ΚΠ
1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity xii. v Out of an over-factious disgust and detestation of the contrary party.
1918 J. C. Davies Baronial Opposition to Edward II i. xii. 303 Another committee of official bishops, barons, not over factious, a justice, clerks and a king's serjeant.
over-faint adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfeɪnt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfeɪnt/
ΚΠ
a1591 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 486 Hence, over-faint, or over-full; Too-pined, or too-plentiful.
1908 J. Payne Vox Clamantis in Carol & Cadence 248 The Eternal Will, Which, through the clamour of the conflict shrill, O'erfaint to pierce the battle-din of Life, Goes murmuring like the ripple of a rill.
over-faithful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfeɪθf(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfeɪθf(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. i. 733 They are not over-faithfull, they are all in their braverie among friends, but hartlesse among enimies.
1919 R. Kipling Years Between 87 The overfaithful sword returns the user His heart's desire at price of his heart's blood.
1993 Econ. Jrnl. 103 990 Over-faithful reproducibility and insufficient absorption of micro-novelty is rendering an economic structure increasingly vulnerable to being selected out.
over-famous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfeɪməs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfeɪməs/
ΚΠ
a1777 S. Foote Capuchin (1778) iii. 127 My old friend, when he liv'd amongst us, was never over-famous for his powers of persuasion.
1989 Forbes (Nexis) 26 June 264 The best-known closet investment fund of all is, of course, Berkshire Hathaway, run by the overfamous Warren Buffett.
over-fast adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɑːst/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈfast/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfæst/
ΚΠ
1838 J. D. Canning Day Dreams in Poems 163 If one not overfast with haste should ruminate it long, He 'd find, besides a sickish taste,It savored something strong.
1949 R. Blesh Shining Trumpets (new ed.) ii. 41 Overfast tempos did not appear in Afro-American music until very recently.
1998 C. Dow Major Recessions vii. 264 Most of the phases of overfast growth came not under Labour but under Conservative governments.
over-fastidious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəfaˈstɪdɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərfæˈstɪdiəs/
ΚΠ
1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci Pref. p. xii An over-fastidious and learned choice of words.
1977 Early Music 5 482/1 It would be over-fastidious to continue discussing the rest of the lai in even that much detail.
† over-fellowly adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 316 That is, by not being over-fellowly with God, nor over-homely with places, and acts of Religion.
† over-felon adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 136/1 Ouer felon and cruelle tyraunt hast thou noo shame.
over-fierce adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɪ(ə)rs/
ΚΠ
1598 R. Tofte Alba ii sig. D3v Headlong he runs to her spite-tainted minde, Which ouer fierce and cruell he doth finde.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. 121 Curious to explore the havoc he had made in the tender center of his over-fierce attack.
1900 A. M. Earle Stage-coach & Tavern Days (1969) xix. 410 Nor did he ever appear overfierce in his threats and gestures.
over-foolish adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfuːlɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfulɪʃ/
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Plays & Poems (1905) 305 In height of weale who beares a careles hart, Repents too late his ouer foolish part.
1820 J. Keats Hyperion: a Fragm. ii, in Lamia & Other Poems 184 Or shall we listen to the over-wise, Or to the over-foolish giant, Gods?
1946 W. E. Hocking et al. Pref. to Philos. (1947) v. 484 We do not dwell upon over-foolish and impossible alternatives.
† over-foul adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
c1440 (?c1380–1400) Of Shrifte & Penance (St. John's Cambr. G. 30) (1998) 87 Take kepe ȝyf [þ]ow were any mannes seketour, and ȝyf þow dest nat byssyly þat þow schuldest do for hym, for hyt were overfoul couetyse to deceue þe dede.
1675 C. Cotton Dialogue Juno & Latona in Burlesque upon Burlesque 110 They like their other Neighbours are, Not over-foul, nor over-fair.
over-frail adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfreɪl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfreɪl/
ΚΠ
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xcii. 566 For wee of ourselues are ouerfraile wee cannot throughly performe the thinges that hee commaundeth us.
1680 N. Lee Cæsar Borgia i. 11 Think me not over-frail Because I love.
a1916 J. Payne Way of Winepress (1920) 91 With these, the storm though over-frail To face, unto the end My harbourage yet I may avail 'Gainst Fortune to defend.
over-frequent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfriːkw(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfrikwənt/
ΚΠ
a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Faire Maide of Inne i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Eeeeeee/2 You are Observd..to be over frequent In giving or receiving visits.
1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross lix. 410 The memorable old customer whites..were in a somewhat perishing state from their over frequent visits to the washing tub.
1996 Times 13 Nov. 38/5 Short lines and over-frequent, over-obvious rhymes still create a jingly effect.
over-friendly adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfrɛn(d)li/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfrɛn(d)li/
ΚΠ
1712 R. Blacmore Creation i. 96 And with soft Breezes does the Regions cheer, On which the Sun o'er friendly does display Heat too prevailing.
1875 Harper's Mag. Apr. 666/1 They had not been overfriendly since his inconsiderate question.
1962 E. Godfrey Retail Selling & Organization xii. 131 Personal comments and an over-friendly manner also amount to discourtesy.
over-fruitful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfruːtf(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfrutf(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1668 J. Dryden Of Dramatick Poesie 70 The labour of Rhyme bounds and circumscribes an over-fruitful fancy.
1991 J. L. Battersby Paradigms Regained v. 95 Any attempt to generalize from these systems to principles or conditions of ‘meaning’ and ‘reference’..would be, if not fruitless, then, what amounts to the same thing, overfruitful.
over-fussy adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfʌsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfəsi/
ΚΠ
1909 J. G. Brooks As Others see Us vii. 118 We too were often overfussy and childish about our prerogatives.
1999 Your Garden June 72/4 Their house and its interior are not over-fussy but reflect a bold, clean style.
† over-gamesome adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) ii. f. 89v He left one, because she was ouerwaiward: another, because she was too soone wonne:..a fourth, because she was ouer-gamesome: the fifth [etc.].
1641 G. Wither Prophesie 26 Other some..Who (like the beasts that over-gamesome be) Doe push their weaker brethren with their hornes.
over-general adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒɛn(ə)rəl/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdʒɛn(ə)rl̩/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɛn(ə)rəl/
ΚΠ
c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 23 (MED) Þe teching of meenal vertu were ouer derk and..ouer general and ouer confuse.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxv. 158 Either they must reforme their speech as ouer-generall, or els condemne their owne practise as vnlawfull.
1990 N. Baker Room Temperature iv. 22 ‘Sigh’ is misleadingly over-general, and not a good match for the..semivoiced ‘Heem!’ that she actually made.
over-genial adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒiːnɪəl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒinjəl/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈdʒiniəl/
ΚΠ
1854 H. Miller My Schools & Schoolmasters xvi. 342 A business..which bore about it a hopeful & promising air so long as the over-genial season lasted.
1997 Sunday Mirror (Nexis) 16 Mar. 27 If you are the life and soul of the party no one will think the boss is being over-genial.
over-gentle adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒɛntl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɛn(t)l/
ΚΠ
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cxciiij He hym selfe hath bene ouer-gentle to hym.
1885 Bot. Gaz. 10 319 Their house was taken possession of and searched by the not over-gentle police.
1989 Independent (Nexis) 26 June 14 Not helped much by the production's overgentle pace, the play seems to stutter forward by fits and starts.
† over-godly adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1613 T. Overbury Crumms King James's Table in Wks. (1856) 263 Wisdome is moderation, and the goodness of things is the mean, a man may be overwise and overgodly.
1698 P. A. Motteux Beauty in Distress Prol. Ev'n we Players, not over-godly neither, Fasted the week, that none of you came hither.
1717 E. Ward Coll. Hist. & State Poems 4 In that over-godly Season, When Truth was more a Crime than Treason.
over-good adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡʊd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡʊd/
ΚΠ
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 742 Sir Launcelot..is to over good for ony knyght that now ys lyvynge.
a1639 J. Dyke Right Receiving of Christ (1640) v. 61 An over good conceit of a mans owne condition and estate..disconceits a man of the necessity of Christ.
1904 C. M. Skinner Little Gardens i In his hunger for the soil, that develops when a man—or his wife—acquires a bit of yard, there is a tendency to..be overgood to it, expecting impossible returns.
over-grateful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡreɪtf(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡreɪtf(ə)l/
ΚΠ
a1652 R. Brome Mad Couple Well Match'd i. i. sig. B3, in Five New Playes (1653) You should overweene that I had ability to wrastle any more with your overgratefull Unkle in your behalfe.
1886 ‘M. Field’ Brutus Ultor ii. iii. 22 The few bosom-thoughts I entertain, O'er-grateful for my hospitality, Come to my side, unsought.
1927 Times 1 Dec. 24/5 I am not sure that I am over-grateful to those operators on the share market who have so popularized our shares.
over-greasy adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡriːsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡrisi/
ΚΠ
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 218 It is easily founde, when a hawke is ouergreasie.
2000 People (Nexis) 23 Jan. It helps absorb the oil in over-greasy hair.
over-gross adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡrəʊs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡroʊs/
ΚΠ
c1475 tr. Henri de Mondeville Surgery (Wellcome) f. 156 (MED) Alle manere of medicyns þat schal be putt to woundis of senewis & oþere siche schal be hoot & not cold, drie and not moist..& not ouer groce substaunce & of greet attraccioun & not opilatiue, i. stopping.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xi. 150 A manifest guyle, or at leastwise an ouergrosse ignorance.
1996 16th Cent. Jrnl. 27 622 There are..no overgross simplifications of complex historical events or processes to mar the argument.
over-guilty adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡɪlti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡɪlti/
ΚΠ
1676 G. Towerson Explic. Decalogue 226 Those..who are not ouer-guilty of it themselves.
2001 Chicago Sun-Times (Nexis) 6 May 38 This new information is just dumping more angst on already overguilty moms.
† over-haught adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 355 To the end she be not proude or overhaught of his drawing out of the mew.
over-haughty adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɔːti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhɔdi/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈhɑdi/
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Hist. Orlando Furioso (1594) sig. Fiij A question ouer-hautie for thy weed.
1876 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 369/1 His eccentric and over-haughty individuality made him unpopular even among his friends.
1925 A. T. Murray tr. Homer Iliad II. xv. 113 Thou knowest what manner of mood is his, how over-haughty and unbending.
over-heady adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɛdi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhɛdi/
ΚΠ
1890 F. W. O. Ward 'Twixt Kiss & Lip 457 Her mind is wide, her wit is ready..And if a trifle over-heady—Why, that is half the fun.
1995 Times (Nexis) 27 July This way you will keep cool and hydrated without getting over-heady in the heat.
† over-heinous adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster in Eng. Wks. (1904) 203 A common perdon for ill doing, if the fault, of it selfe be not ouer heinous.
† over-hollow adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1617 G. Markham Cavelarice (new ed.) vi. 53 The crooked hoofe,..the ouer-hollow or drie hoofe, as those of Barbaries and Turkes.
over-homely adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhəʊmli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhoʊmli/
ΚΠ
a1617 S. Hieron Christians liue-loode in Wks. (1620) II. 51 In preaching my desire hath euer beene, & I trust shall be, as not to be ouer-homely, which were ill befitting the oracles of God.
1888 M. E. Sandford T. Poole & his Friends I. xii. 210 Coleridge not unfrequently jars upon the sensitiveness of a severely exclusive taste in precisely the same way, by some deliberately clumsy joke, unsavoury metaphor, outrageous pun, or over-homely simile.
over-honest adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɒnᵻst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɑnəst/
ΚΠ
1637 J. Shirley Gamester iii. sig. E Shees so precise, and over honest, I had as good nere atempt her.
1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. Introd. 15 It was not so well for a lawyer to be over-honest, else he might not be up to other people's tricks.
1997 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 4 May ii. 4/1 He actually clambers onto the table to formalize his rejection of Anne-Marie Duff's overhonest Cordelia.
over-huge adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhjuːdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈ(h)judʒ/
ΚΠ
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1876) VI. 381 This Charls refusede his wife for overhuge familiarite betwene hir and the bischop Vercellense.
1590 T. Fenne Hecubaes Mishaps in Frutes sig. Ee3v The heauy harnesse ouer huge my husband would assay: That being on, his speare in hand could scarce his body stay.
2001 Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Jrnl. Sentinel (Nexis) 4 July 6 b Bedecked in their characteristic overhuge, almost-zoot suits.
over-idle adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈʌɪdl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈaɪd(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1596 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) ix. xlix. 227 By this (for ouer-idle seemd to English hearts the Shore) Our Gallants did imbarke each-wheare, and made our Forces more.
1998 Women & their Sister; Comments Please in soc.women (Usenet newsgroup) 10 May His over idle hands will be allowed to indulge and generally cause havoc and destruction.
† over-inclinable adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 471 Some may peradventure be over-inclinable to imagine the Episcopal Office & revenues to have a greater propinquity with that hypothesis than any indifferent Man can possibly judge.
a1680 J. Glanvill Saducismus Triumphatus (1681) ii. 310 He was suspected haply for some complaisance towards some persons that were over-inclinable to Hobbianism.
† over-incurious adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxxviii. 5 An o'er-incurious husband.
over-ingenious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈdʒinjəs/
ΚΠ
1849 Amer. Rev. Feb. 123/1 The manner in which our author in general executes the task imposed by his somewhat vague and not over ingenious plan.
1858 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 70 It would be over-ingenious to argue..that he had no peculiar interest in young ladies in general.
1994 18th-cent. Stud. 28 20 This posture is complicated throughout by Swift's implication that modernism consists precisely in overingenious rationality.
over-insistent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈsɪst(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈsɪstənt/
ΚΠ
1888 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 468/2 Poor Miss Tita colored, as if she found me over-insistent.
1977 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 13 Oct. 35/2 The slightly overinsistent Ciceronianisms here draw attention to themselves.
over-insolent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪnsələnt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪnsəln̩t/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪnsl̩n(ə)t/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɪnsələnt/
ΚΠ
1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. i. 620 Let him not suffer his people to be over-insolent, nor yet to be troden under foot & oppressed.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward (1831) II. xix. 362 Now, by my honour,..that is over insolent in an unworthy adventurer!
1930 R. Aldington tr. Euripides Alcestis iv. i. 44 You are over-insolent, and you shall not leave thus, after wounding me with your boyish insults.
over-jealous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒɛləs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɛləs/
ΚΠ
a1450 Pater Noster Richard Ermyte (Westm. Sch. 3) (1967) 19 God to vs seiþ þat we noȝt ouergelous be ouer oure owne fleisch.
1605 True Chron. Hist. King Leir sig. F3 Her..whom I confesse I wrongd, Through doting frenzy, and o're-ielous loue.
1964 Transition No. 17. 33/2 The husband brings little things for her, buys her good clothes and beads, and is almost overjealous about her.
over-judicious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədʒᵿˈdɪʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdʒuˈdɪʃəs/
ΚΠ
1718 Free-thinker No. 39. 1 An over-judicious Author..polishes away the Strength and Energy of his Thoughts.
1975 Amer. Hist. Rev. 80 1335/2 The author's own conclusions are overjudicious and tentative.
over-just adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒʌst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒəst/
ΚΠ
1610 Bp. J. Hall (title) A common apologie of the Church of England: against the vniust challenges of the ouer-iust sect, commonly called Brownists.
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 514 Then who self-rigorous chooses death as due; Which argues over-just, and self-displeas'd For self-offence, more then for God offended. View more context for this quotation
1983 MERIP Rep. No. 114. 12/2 Then, according to tradition, a voice from heaven proclaimed: ‘Be not overjust.’
over-keen adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkiːn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkin/
ΚΠ
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. vii. 182 I cannot remember, sir, that its edge was ever over keen.
1898 Argosy Sept. 332 The old hags at the bazaars who are not over keen to penetrate disguises.
1977 J. Bingham Marriage Bureau Murders x. 130 A girl in trouble with an over-keen lover.
over-lascivious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvələˈsɪvɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərləˈsɪviəs/
ΚΠ
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall (1769) 115 But I may not grow over-lascivious in extolling.
1992 Christian Sci. Monitor (Nexis) 21 Apr. 11 Michael Cristofer and Kathleen Widdoes endow an overlascivious Claudius and Gertrude with a touch of royal class.
† over-lawyer-like adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1668 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) iii. vii. 195 Which you do, Cuphophron, over-Lawyer-like, supporting your Clients without any regard to the Truth.
† over-laxative adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health (1636) 115 Medlars..are good after meales, especially for such as bee over-laxative.
over-lenient adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈliːnɪənt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlinjənt/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈliniənt/
ΚΠ
1834 Southern Lit. Messenger Nov. 112/2 Age..has not been over lenient with me.
1877 V. Fane Anthony Babington i. iii. 43 Folk over-lenient, foolishly o'er-fond, and over-trustful.
1989 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 27 Feb. a18/4 Viewing the convictions for first-degree manslaughter, rather than murder, in three highly publicized cases as overlenient.
† over-lewd adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1618 W. Raleigh Disc. Orig. Cause Warre (1650) sig. Fv Some few Popes may have been overlewd, by their own private natures, and thereby have swarved from the rule of policy.
† over-licentious adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 1034 The ouerlicentious and imperious tyrannie of Dionysius.
1634 W. Habington Castara (1870) 99 The free and open discovery of thoughts to woman can not passe without an over licentious familiarity, or a justly occasion'd suspition.
† over-lightheaded adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1592 G. Harvey Foure Lett. iii. 33 The Grecians generallie were ouer-lightheaded.
over-lively adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlʌɪvli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlaɪvli/
ΚΠ
1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso i. xli. 83 Bold, and over-lively wits are not very fit to govern others.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. ix. 35 Such a young creature as this, who had by her advice saved even her over-lively friend from marrying a fop, and a libertine.
1958 Hist. Jrnl. 1 138 Mackenzie was obviously an enthusiast with an over-lively imagination.
over-lofty adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɒfti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɔfti/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈlɑfti/
ΚΠ
1579 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Morall Philos. (new ed.) x. ii. f. 204 Malicious men..in their proude ouerlaughty, & stoute courage..spareth not at al times..to blowe out..the..blastes of slaunderous and euill reportes.
1868 E. H. Plumptre tr. Æschylus Persians in tr. Æschylus Trag. II. 44 Zeus is the avenger of o'erlofty thoughts.
1996 Sunday Times 14 July x. 29/1 Mengelberg's way was, by today's standards, heavy-handed, over-lofty and too sentimental.
over-logical adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɒdʒᵻkl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɑdʒək(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1641 J. Milton Animadversions 27 They have..thought him if not an over-logicall, 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. 47 299 Occasionally Williams seems to make Shakespeare over-logical.
over-loose adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈluːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlus/
ΚΠ
1668 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) iii. xx. 221 Such as the over-severe, or over-loose, methods of living in reference to future Happiness.
1983 Financial Times (Nexis) 17 Nov. i. 16 There is already concern that the monetary and fiscal climate has been overloose for many months past.
over-luxuriant adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəlʌɡˈʒʊərɪənt/
,
/ˌəʊvələɡˈʒʊərɪənt/
,
/ˌəʊvəlʌɡˈzjʊərɪənt/
,
/ˌəʊvələɡˈzjʊərɪənt/
,
/ˌəʊvəlʌkˈsjʊərɪənt/
,
/ˌəʊvələkˈsjʊərɪənt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvər(ˌ)ləɡˈʒʊriənt/
,
/ˌoʊvər(ˌ)ləkˈʃʊriənt/
ΚΠ
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at May The shortning over-luxuriant Branches in all Fruit-trees, except Vines, to two Inches of the Place from whence they shoot.
1880 E. Lee-Hamilton Gods, Saints & Men 95 The waving leaves, and tendrils fresh and green, Of o'er-luxuriant and intrusive creepers.
1964 Econ. Hist. Rev. 17 158 The vivid style is marred only by an occasional over-luxuriant metaphor.
† over-malapert adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Lion & Mouse l. 1428 in Poems (1981) 57 Ouer malapart and eik presumpteous Thow wes, to mak out ouer me thy tripping.
1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars Index sig. A4/2v Heluidius Priscus over malapert with Vespasian the Emperour.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe III. iv. 95 Waldemar Fitzurse, much hast thou taken upon thee; and over malapert thou wert to cause trumpet to blow, or banner to be raised,..without our express command.
1837 C. Richardson New Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 1389/2 Over-malapert.]
over-mean adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmiːn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmin/
ΚΠ
1598 R. Tofte Alba iii. sig. F8 My Loue which is to thee more then extreame, Requite not with a fortune, ouer meane.
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) ii. xxx. 101 It is a fruit of an overmeane conceit of God, when we will cause him to be a servant to our lusts, and unreasonable fancies.
1903 J. Payne Vigil & Vision 80 He put off empire, like a worn-out wede, For hero's wearing waxen overmean.
over-meek adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmiːk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmik/
ΚΠ
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 114 Nor ouermeek, nor ouerferse he was.
1875 ‘B. De Garçon’ Kishoge Papers 6 He scarcely could speak, So swollen was his cheek, For the Sacristan's temper was not over meek.
over-mellow adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɛləʊ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɛloʊ/
ΚΠ
1832 Ld. Tennyson Lotos-eaters: Choric Song iii, in Poems (new ed.) 112 The fulljuiced apple, waxing overmellow.
1990 R. Blount First Hubby 11 Yet the government is not overmellow... On the contrary, it is too mean.
over-merciful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈməːsᵻf(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmərsəf(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1614 T. Adams Diuells Banket i. 24 Great men are vnmercifull to their Tenants, that they may be ouer-mercifull to their Tendents.
1652 E. Benlowes Theophila Pref. Where there is unmercifull oppression and overmerciful Connivence.
1971 Dict. National Biogr. 1951–60 at Asquith, Cyril There was some complaint that he was over-merciful in sentencing the guilty, but this did not bother him.
over-merry adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɛri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɛri/
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) Induct. i. 135 Haply my presence May well abate the ouer-merrie spleene. View more context for this quotation
1765 I. Bickerstaff Maid of Mill ii. v. 32 I am not in an over-merry mood myself.
1938 M. Ludwig tr. L. Lehmann Midway in My Song ix. 119 [She] came to the rescue of many a wobbly ensemble when the overmerry flower maidens were fooling round with..Otto Marak.
over-mighty adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmʌɪti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmaɪdi/
ΚΠ
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 127 Perellis that mey come to the kyng by ouer myghtye subgettes.
1887 W. Morris tr. Homer Odyssey I. i. x. 188 There was one Elpenor, the youngest;..In war not over-mighty.
1984 Daily Tel. 27 July 14/2 He believes fervently that the Executive has become overmighty.
over-mild adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmʌɪld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmaɪld/
ΚΠ
1656 J. Trapp Exposition (1868) 388 They stir up one another to more madness, as if hitherto they had been over-mild, and used too much gentleness.
1848 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton I. x. 180 Her temper was high..and her answers not overmild.
1911 Amer. Hist. Rev. 16 367 Criticism is modest throughout, never extravagant in praise, or over-mild in censure.
over-moist adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɔɪst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɔɪst/
ΚΠ
1590 W. Clever Flower of Phisicke 46 Thinges which be ouer moyst.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §706 Either by an over-dry heat, or an over-moist heat.
1932 W. Lewis Filibusters in Barbary Foreword p. vii I promised myself that I would forget this squalid quagmire of an oasis, over-moist London.
over-neat adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈniːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnit/
ΚΠ
1691 W. Mountfort Greenwich-Park iv. ii. 44 Very honest hearty fellows they call Beaux, who setting by their blinde side of being a little over-neat will be Drunk with their friends.
1714 Spectator No. 591. ⁋21 A Woman who from being a Slattern becomes over-neat, or from being over-neat becomes a Slattern, is most certainly in Love.
1989 Holiday Which? Jan. 51/1 You can still wander around the overneat village of St. Jean.
over-new adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnjuː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈn(j)u/
ΚΠ
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iii. vi. 111 Did ever Mortal such a Parson view; His Cassock old, his Wig not over-new ? View more context for this quotation
1886 W. W. Story Giannone in Poems II. 89 A scarlet fez with a tassel blue Perched on his head, not over-new.
over-nimble adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnɪmbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnɪmb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1640 E. Reynolds Treat. Passions (c1688) xviii An overnimble desire is like the stomack of a sick man newly recovered, more greedy than strong.
1885 W. B. Yeats in Dublin Univ. Rev. June 111/2 Cease! no more! Thou hast an over-nimble tongue.
† over-notable adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. xi. 84 A mother over-notable; a daughter over-sensible; and their Hickman, who is—over-neither.
over-obedient adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ə(ʊ)ˈbiːdɪənt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌoʊˈbidiəns/
,
/ˌoʊvərəˈbidiəns/
ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Let. to Sir H. Goodeere in Lett. to Severall Persons of Honour (1651) 101 Hertofore the inobedient Puritans, and now the over-obedient Papists attempt you.
1866 Spectator 28 Apr. 461/2 He is the best of servants, a kindly, but over-watchful, and it may be over-obedient, man.
1989 E. Hoffman Lost in Transl. (1991) iii. 196 A very scholarly and somewhat overobedient structuralist critique of working-class movements in late-eighteenth-century England.
over-obese adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ə(ʊ)ˈbiːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌoʊˈbis/
ΚΠ
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot i. iii. 8 One said of an Over-Obese Priest that he was a great Arminian.
2001 Macon (Georgia) Tel. (Nexis) 10 Sept. d1 ‘I am terribly over-obese,’ one of the survey's male virgins noted.
over-obsequious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əbˈsiːkwɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəbˈsikwiəs/
ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (?1839) IV. 408 Those tyrannous Officers & Over-obsequious Priests.
1988 Times (Nexis) 29 Mar. Consistency and a recognizable house-style usually come from an over-dominant teacher and over-obsequious pupils.
over-obvious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɒbvɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɑbviəs/
ΚΠ
1913 Jrnl. Philos., Psychol. & Sci. Methods 10 669 What might be called the American sin of over-obvious spiritual pabulum.
1951 A. Koestler Age of Longing ii. iv. 243 Not to mention such over-obvious facts as the disparity in the number of divisions.
† over-open adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) i. vi. 83 To behold the sinnes of Parents and other superiours with an over-open and greedy eye, with scoffes and contempt of them of piety.
over-optimistic adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɒptᵻˈmɪstɪk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɑptəˈmɪstɪk/
ΚΠ
1894 Atlantic Monthly Nov. 599/2 Seward has been severely criticised because he was jovial, patient, and over-optimistic.
1944 Chicago Daily News 4 Nov. 6/1 Engaging highbinders and sharpies who are not exactly thieves, but more than slightly overoptimistic in their use of..other people's money.
1976 Broadcast 29 Mar. 4/1 Over-optimistic predictions of BBC income in the coming year.
† over-ordinary adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1606 Bp. J. Hall Arte Diuine Medit. iv. 19 It is with Meditations as with Medicines; which, with ouer-ordinary vse lose their Soueraignty; and fill, in stead of purging.
over-orthodox adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɔːθədɒks/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɔrθəˌdɑks/
ΚΠ
1698 J. Norris Pract. Disc. Divine Subj. IV. 414 A Zealous and Over-Orthodox Adversary thinking to Contradict me.
1979 Econ. Jrnl. 89 452 Most of this material..is orthodox enough: indeed, occasionally over-orthodox, particularly in the credence given to the Laffer–Mundell argument for monetary union.
† over-oscitant adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 287 It was obvious to any one that is not over oscitant to conclude, the sixth Trumpet is past without its being said so.
over-painful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpeɪnf(ᵿ)l/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpeɪnf(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1710 E. Ward Vulgus Britannicus: 2nd Pt. v. 58 That the Turky, Goose, or Pheasant..Should by his over painful Teaching..Be pall'd, o'er roasted and unfit, For such a Fine-mouth'd Saint to eat.
1998 Re: Yes or No, that is all I Need in alt.peeves (Usenet newsgroup) 30 June The classic cycle of induction leading to over-painful contractions, necessitating an epidural anaesthetic, in turn making the mother unable to push properly.
over-particular adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəpəˈtɪkjᵿlə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərpərˈtɪkjələr/
ΚΠ
1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. ii. v. 87 The handsomest among these Maids of Honor..would sometimes set me astride upon one of her Nipples, with many other Tricks, wherein the Reader will excuse me for not being over particular.
1848 J. R. Lowell Fable for Critics (ed. 2) 39 To hear, you're not over-particular whence, Almost Taylor's profusion, quite Latimer's sense.
1937 Amer. Home Apr. 108/2 If one is not over-particular as to their origin and the material used in their construction, those now being made in the Far East are very usable and not prohibitive in price for the small-home-owner.
over-passionate adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpaʃn̩ət/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈpaʃənət/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpæʃ(ə)nət/
ΚΠ
1599 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum (1632) 130 The dreames..of some over-passionate desires.
1849 J. A. Froude Nemesis of Faith 108 Very little good comes to children from over-passionate straining in this matter.
1976 Amer. Hist. Rev. 81 281 They all appear immune from the afflictions of an overpassionate heart.
over-patient adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpeɪʃnt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpeɪʃənt/
ΚΠ
a1635 T. Randolph Muses Looking-glasse v. i. 88 in Poems (1638) And when I am not over patient, To put up such grosse wrongs as call me coward.
1881 ‘M. Twain’ Prince & Pauper 137 I like not much bandying of words, being not overpatient in my nature.
1987 A. Theroux Adultery 154 It was the sort of overpatient condescension one usually finds administered in a nurselike way.
over-pensive adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɛnsɪv/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɛnsɪv/
ΚΠ
a1633 A. Munday John a Kent (1923) 8 These passions more then ouerpensiue.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. v. iii. 301 The deeply-loaded and over-pensive Gentlemen, who esteeming it the truest Wit to pursue what they call their Interest, wonder to find [etc.].
2002 Washington Post (Nexis) 16 Sept. c5 Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes played his compatriot Grieg's Piano Concerto with romantic elasticity but an over-pensive touch.
over-peremptory adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəpəˈrɛm(p)t(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərpəˈrɛm(p)t(ə)ri/
ΚΠ
1602 T. A. Massacre of Money sig. F But if her pride be ouer peremptory, Our hands and not our tongues shall win the glory.
1998 Memphis (Tennessee) Flyer (Electronic ed.) 18 June Whatever the merits of that charge (and of the first-term congressman's arguably over-peremptory manner in putting it forth).
† over-pervicacious adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness vii. xi. 325 Which arguments certainly cannot but have their due weight with them that are not over-pervicacious.
over-pessimistic adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəpɛsᵻˈmɪstɪk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌpɛsəˈmɪstɪk/
ΚΠ
1898 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 8 221 It may be wise for the over-pessimistic minister to ask himself how far his own warfare has gone.
1995 Daily Tel. 25 July 8/8 The action group is convinced that the governors' projections are over-pessimistic.
over-picturesque adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəpɪktʃəˈrɛsk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌpɪk(t)ʃəˈrɛsk/
ΚΠ
1930 Pacific Affairs 3 889 The first chapters, disentangled from a somewhat over-picturesque verbiage, are solidly useful.
1938 L. MacNeice Mod. Poetry 10 His [sc. Housman's] hanged man, his soldiers, are over-picturesque.
† over-piteous adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes 193 Whilest I am bemoaning his ouer-pitteous decay.
over-plain adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpleɪn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpleɪn/
ΚΠ
1668 G. C. in H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) Pref. p. vi His over-plain and open opposing that so-much-admired Philosopher Renatus Des Cartes.
1735 R. Dodsley Beauty 5 She's so over-free, so over-plain, So unpolite, so awkward, so ungain.
1926 H. W. Fowler Dict. Mod. Eng. Usage 189/2 Not only may decency be outraged sometimes by over-plain speech.
over-plausible adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplɔːzᵻbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈplɔzəb(ə)l/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈplɑzəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) v. f. 232 Neither regarding a prisoners passionate prayer, nor bearing ouerplausible eares to a many hedded motion.
1917 Chicago Daily News 2 Oct. in R. Chaplin Wobbly (1948) xx. 231 Where La Follette is explosive or Mayor Thompson overplausible and grievous, Haywood takes it easy.
over-plenteous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplɛntɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈplɛn(t)iəs/
ΚΠ
1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) v. xxiii. 103 Our natiue Stories yeeld Of Myters medling with our Sword an ouerplenteous feeld.
1903 E. Fawcett Voices & Visions 108 Note her plaintive eyes Brim with large tears, like over-plenteous dew Burdening twin blooms.
over-plentiful adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplɛntᵻf(ᵿ)l/
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1573 J. Daus tr. H. Bullinger Hundred Serm. vpon Apocalipse (rev. ed.) xxxviii. f. 111v Exceedingly ouerplentifull was this darnell throughout the vniuersal church.
1699 Woman's Malice 12 This Rodulus..was left Heir to a considerable, tho (in respect of his Quality) not over plentiful Estate.
1987 Jrnl. Afr. Hist. 28 39 If mixed romauls were over-plentiful and gunpowder scarce, the Fante merchant would simply refuse to take more romauls than he needed in a barter.
over-plump adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplʌmp/
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1867 Galaxy Sept. 536 Lady Eleanor was of middle height, and somewhat over plump.
1959 Amer. Lit. 31 212 The girl, dreamy, over-plump, a persistent scribbler, a good student, had to make her own way to New York.
over-polemical adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəpəˈlɛmᵻkl/
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1682 H. More Annot. Disc. Truth 227 in Two Choice & Useful Treat. It is the symptome of an over-Polemical Fencer, to deny a thing merely because he finds it not for his Form.
1970 Amer. Hist. Rev. 75 812 A certain overpolemical tendency can be illustrated by his objection to a sentence of the French historian Pierre Vilar.
† over-politic adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1599 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum (1632) 102 This over-politick and too wise Order.
1642 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 49 Lest..she doe not with her overpolitick fetches marre all.
over-ponderous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɒnd(ə)rəs/
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1585 J. Sharrock tr. C. Ocland Elizabeth Queene sig. C*4*, in tr. Valiant Actes & Victorious Battailes Eng. Nation Which lawes in equall ballance weyes, and cancelling out doth strike, Which ouer ponderous to him seemes.
2001 Tatler July 61/2 The novel..is absorbing and for every overponderous moment there is a profound one.
over-popular adj.
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1668 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) v. xv. 461 The invincible Obscurity of his Writings will prevent his being over-popular.
1883 Science 7 Dec. 743/1 Too much cannot be said in recognition of this interest in a branch of science not over-popular in these days.
1986 MLN 101 135 Sannazaro's success with the Arcadia..made the bucolic compositions become overpopular.
over-positive adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɒzᵻtɪv/
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1684 T. Burnet Theory of Earth ii. To Rdr. The greatest fault..is to be over-positive and dogmatical.
1994 Man 29 742/1 If anything, Iwao is over-positive in reaction to this stereotype.
over-potent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpəʊtnt/
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1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. x. 80 The priuate intents of men ouer-potent in the common welth.
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 427 Thou..Temptation found'st, or over-potent charms To violate the sacred trust of silence Deposited within thee. View more context for this quotation
1912 C. A. Smith Star-treader 54 The sentinel stars Are dead with overpotent flame.
over-precise adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprᵻˈsʌɪs/
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/ˌoʊvərpriˈsaɪs/
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1613 in M. C. Questier Newslett. Archpresbyterate G. Birkhead (1998) 184 Some..thinke me over precise in observinge my commission.
a1617 S. Hieron Wks. (1620) I. 45 Indeed I am not ouer precise; for I hold that to be more then needes: I am no medler with the scriptures; that I account to be beyond my reach.
1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park I. xv. 295 We must not be over precise Edmund. As Mr. Rushworth is to act too, there can be no harm. View more context for this quotation
1993 Eng. Today Apr. 20/1 Singaporeans..often speak in a way that seems over-precise to people in southern England.
over-pregnant adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprɛɡnənt/
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?1590–1 J. Burel tr. Pamphilus in Poems sig. A3v Nor thocht I be not of Precoxel spreit, Nor into wit, ouer pregnant or pereit.
1883 R. Broughton Belinda III. iii. viii. 45 Silence becomes too oppressive, and they speak; but then speech grows over-pregnant, and they fly back to silence.
1995 Revelation in rec.arts.poems (Usenet newsgroup) 30 Mar. Answers fall like raindrops from overpregnant clouds.
over-presumptuous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprᵻˈzʌm(p)tʃʊəs/
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1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. xl. f. 109 I doubt, and it shall please your maiestie, lest I shall seeme ouer presumptuous, and rashe vnto you, if I dooe discouer the secretes of my harte.
1980 Hist. Jrnl. 23 533 Certain men in France had become over-confident, over-ambitious, over-presumptuous.
over-prolific adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprəˈlɪfɪk/
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1853 Sci. Amer. 16 July 349/1 Our readers know full well that we are somewhat cautious, and not over-prolific of praise.
1907 Publ. Amer. Econ. Assoc. 8 87 The equilibrium may be restored by the overprolific people adopting the standards of the less prolific.
1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers (N.Y. ed.) 149 Those over-prolific white mice.
over-prolix adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprəʊlɪks/
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1616 A. Champney Treat. Vocation Bishops xvii. 246 Of this same subiect he hath a large discourse vpon the Psal.33. conci. i. which is ouer prolix to be related here S. Ambrose is as plaine, saying.]
1661 R. Boyle Some Considerations Style Script. 205 To Recover my self at length from my Over-prolix Digression.
1901 Philos. Rev. 10 108 The style of the author seems over-prolix. The argument could have been stated in a third of the space.
over-prompt adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprɒm(p)t/
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1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xxxiii. 195 Many a faint-hearted man, when he began in jest..has been forced into earnest, by being over-prompt, and taken at his word.
1866 J. G. Whittier Snow-bound 44 The generous heart O'er-prompt to do with Heaven its part.
1991 Independent (Nexis) 29 May 11 Among the many medically known symptoms are short attention spans, impatience, over-prompt decision-making, agitation and emotional volatility.
over-prone adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprəʊn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈproʊn/
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1483 tr. Adam of Eynsham Reuelation xix Thys man whoys sine & perelle we speke of now yt hyt schulde be feryd & dredde yn hys wolde days was ouer prone & redy to dronkenes.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. xlvi. 94 Rash, sinister, and suspitious verdits, whereunto they are ouer-prone.
1723 A. Philips Humfrey iv. vii. 52 So apt is Power to warp with Passion; And, so over-prone is Censure.
1976 N. Freeling Lake Isle viii. 51 His ma..was overprone, maybe, to well-meant advice about bringing up the children and such.
over-provident adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprɒvᵻd(ə)nt/
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1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. xii. 52 Every man, especially those that are over provident, are in an estate like to that of Prometheus.
1828 Lights & Shades Eng. Life II. 184 An old over-provident housekeeper.
1881 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 172/2 It is never so cold for any length of time as to make a subsistence precarious and people over-provident.
over-prudent adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpruːd(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈprudnt/
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1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. 125 She thought again she was not over-prudent to publish her Resentment and Concern to all the World.
1864 A. Trollope Can you forgive Her? I. xi. 84 She..was, if I may say, over-prudent in calculating the chances of her happiness and of his.
1996 Sunday Times 12 May i. 2/6 It looks as though she intends to make her financial affairs hard to follow if she does have to pay up. It seems a bit over-prudent for someone who says she is innocent.
over-public adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpʌblɪk/
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a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) ii. xxxi. 121 The manner of his accusation was over-publique, when it should and might have been private.
1992 Jrnl. Mod. Afr. Stud. 30 719 Some of their over-public and occasionally pious political sentiments are already starting to sound dated.
over-puissant adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpjuːᵻsnt/
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/ˌəʊvəˈpwɪsnt/
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1650 Bp. J. Hall Revelation Unrevealed viii Overpuissant opposites.
1921 C. Morley Chimneysmoke 140 Watches tick, and over-puissant Time Benumbs the eager brain.
over-quiet adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkwʌɪət/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkwaɪət/
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?1590–1 J. Burel tr. Pamphilus in Poems sig. B4 See thou be not ouer quiet or degest, Naither thy toung superfluously apply.
a1963 L. MacNeice Coll. Poems (1979) 435 A seemingly empty train which saunters through..a candid And overquiet landscape.
over-rapid adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrapɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈræpəd/
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1838 N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 356 Collateral points that so commonly arrest or distract men of weak judgment or over rapid association.
1964 Ann. Reg. 1963 263 Credit also became tighter, and full employment created the conditions for an over-rapid rise in wages and salaries.
over-rational adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈraʃn̩(ə)l/
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a1713 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks (1715) III. iii. iii. 306 'Tis thought dangerous for us to be over-rational; or too much Masters of our-selves, in what we draw, by just Conclusions, from Reason only.
1965 Science 9 Apr. 211/3 The man Diesel is..a proud, over-rational neurotic, with chronic headaches and occasional breakdowns.
over-ready adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛdi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrɛdi/
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c1440 (?c1380–1400) Of Shrifte & Penance (St. John's Cambr. G. 30) (1998) 69 To chydinges some byth overredy.
1616 R. Niccols Sir Thomas Overburies Vision 22 Why like his spurres, Will ye be ouer ready at his heeles.
1859 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 114 We may seem to make unusual criticisms, and to be over-ready with depreciation or objection.
1992 Economist 31 Oct. 14/1 He seems to be over-ready with the tax breaks to keep firms sweet.
over-resolute adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛzəl(j)uːt/
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a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) ii. xxvi. 82 Be not over-resolute in any thing, this I will not doe, that I will not doe: God may have purposed that that shall be done which thou resolvest shall not.
a1943 H. R. Zimmer King & Corpse (1956) i. 129 If the animal within is killed by an overresolute morality..the conscious personality will never be vivified by the hidden forces that underlie and sustain it.
over-rife adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrʌɪf/
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?1535 M. Coverdale Goostly Psalmes f. xiiiiv My synnes droue me dayly to hell..I was also in them ouer ryfe.
1586 W. Warner Albions Eng. iii. xvii. 69 The Scottes and Pichtes did sunder hence, the Brutons, ouer ryffe In Largesse making frollike Cheer.
1870 J. A. Heraud In-gathering 28 Away at once with shadows, over-rife With disappointment.
over-righteous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrʌɪtʃəs/
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1653 J. Gauden Hieraspistes 253 It is easie for well-affected Christians to be over-scrupulous, and over-righteous.
1742 M. Jones Let. 18 Feb. in Misc. in Prose & Verse (1750) 237 Those pious Forms of Confession one meets with in some over-righteous Books, which shock ones Nature to repeat.
1979 L. Blue Back Door to Heaven (1985) iv. 30 Songs of Vilna and poverty, with digs at drunken cantors and over-righteous Rabbis.
over-rough adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrʌf/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrəf/
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a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) ii. xxix. 143 Let no man abstaine from doing such a good office to his Governour though it seeme not so pleasing for the time, onely so that an over-rough manner of doing doe not add to the bitternesse of the thing.
1884 Harper's Mag. Apr. 800/1 His ways are overrough.
1980 Math. of Computation 35 998 To prevent overrough use of these remarks we add that some qualifications must be made if E is very large.
over-rude adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈruːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrud/
ΚΠ
1568 G. Turberville tr. D. Mancinus Plaine Path to Perfect Vertue sig. Fiij Nor doth the man that barrs thee from this nicenesse here in deede, Persuade thee to be ouer rude.
a1894 R. L. Stevenson Monmouth (1928) ii. 22 I could not die unheard: I could not die, Her thinking me a lackey over-rude.
1916 Jrnl. Philos., Psychol. & Sci. Methods 13 371 Frowning upon any over-rude anti-intellectualism.
over-russet adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrʌsɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrəsət/
rare
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-russet.
over-sad adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsad/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsæd/
ΚΠ
c1450 Of Manners (Lamb. 853) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 34 In companies be neuere to tale-wijs, Ne ouer myrie, ne ouer sadde.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 262 The mind is now and then a litle to be cherished, and set free from an ouer-sad sobrietie.
1898 T. Hardy Wessex Poems 137 A lapse over-sad for a lady Of her pedigree!
1955 Kingston (N.Y.) Daily Freeman 12 Nov. 4/2 Try to be neutral in mood, slightly on the cheerful side, but neither overjoyed nor oversad.
over-sanguine adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsaŋɡwɪn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsæŋɡwən/
ΚΠ
1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 93 The florid and over-sanguine Humour of the high Stile was allay'd by something of a contrary nature.
1869 M. Arnold Culture & Anarchy iii. 136 This certainly does appear over-sanguine.
1937 ‘M. Innes’ Hamlet, Revenge! iii. i. 213 There had been spies..and one of them had doubtless sent away an over-sanguine message.
† over-sapless adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1596 H. Clapham Briefe of Bible ii. Ep. Ded. 2 Your Worships aimable construction shal giue vitall power to my over-saples sentences.
† over-saucy adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1576 G. Pettie Petite Pallace 79 It may be you wil thinke me ouer saucy with my lisping lips to prefer persuasions to them, who are as voyde of folly euery way as my selfe of wit any way.
1641 W. Prynne Antipathie 9 His over-sawcie speeches and carriage to the King, and his refusing to acknowledge his fault.
† over-scrutinous adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1653 E. Chisenhale Catholike Hist. 308 Some who would be over-scrutinous to examine the points of this Commission by the rule of the holy Writ.
over-sensational adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəs(ɛ)nˈseɪʃn̩(ə)l/
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/ˌəʊvəs(ɛ)nˈseɪʃən(ə)l/
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ΚΠ
1879 19th Cent. Jan. 42 Will any one say that the authors of these passages have sinned in being over-sensational?
1970 Family Planning Perspectives 2 46/1 The Kistner volume is stated to be in direct response to over-sensational reporting.
over-serious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɪərɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɪriəs/
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1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. Fv If you truely note her Face, You shall find it hath a grace, Neither wanton, nor ore serious.
1888 Mrs. H. Ward Robert Elsmere II. iii. xix. 144 These two people..were perhaps always over-serious, over-sensitive.
1999 Pi Mag (Univ. Coll. London Union) Feb. 12/1 An awkward and stilted storyline that exists as an over-serious attempt to justify the B-boy life style.
over-servile adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsəːvʌɪl/
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/ˌəʊvəˈsəːvɪl/
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ΚΠ
a1626 F. Bacon Valerius Terminus in Lett. & Remains (1734) xxi. 447 Of the impediments which have been in the two extream humours of admiration of antiquity and love of novelty, and again of over-servile reverence, or over-light scorn of the opinions of others.
1670 C. Cotton tr. G. Girard Hist. Life Duke of Espernon iii. x. 478 Had he not expected from his friends an over-servile, and submiss regard.
2002 Translation Jrnl. (Electronic text) 6 No. 4 The proposed translation of ‘obligeance’ as ‘obsequiousness’ may overemphasise the strength of the original ST [sc. source text] term yet the mockingly over-servile attitude aimed at being conveyed by the author is respected.
over-severe adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsᵻˈvɪə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈvɪ(ə)r/
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > strictness > [adjective] > severe or stern > excessively severe
overhardc1390
oversharpa1500
over-severe1586
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > harshness or severity > [adjective] > excessively
overhardc1390
oversharpa1500
over-severe1586
over-harsha1633
1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 593 It falleth out so, that an ouer-seuere Magistrate becommeth odious.
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet in Waverley Novels II. 43 I must not put their patience to an over severe trial.
1988 Econ. Jrnl. 98 691 This is an asymptotic test uncorrected for degrees of freedom, so it is probably somewhat over-severe given the rather small sample.
over-shy adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃaɪ/
ΚΠ
1696 C. Cibber Love's Last Shift iii. 47 Prithee Cousin, who's that over-shy Lady there, that won't seem to understand what that Brisk young fellow says to her?
1752 C. Lennox Female Quixote I. ii. ix. 135 The inconsiderate Julia..was not over-shy, any more than yourself, of granting Favours.
1992 Kitchener-Waterloo (Ont.) Record (Nexis) 26 Dec. f3 Introductions are arranged with planeloads of overshy or just plain repugnant men.
over-sick adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɪk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɪk/
ΚΠ
a1674 R. Herrick Poet. Wks. (1915) 52 Never was Day so over-sick with showres, But that it had some intermitting houres.
1997 Toronto Star (Nexis) 27 Sept. a1 You can get overwhelmed with these oversick (very ill) patients nobody wants to do.
† over-silent adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1611 R. Fenton Treat. Vsurie 110 Our sluggish modesty in being ouer silent.
over-simple adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɪmpl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɪmp(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1611 R. Fenton Treat. Vsurie 33 They are therfore ouer simple, who doe imagine that humane authoritie is alleaged to adde authoritie vnto Scripture.
1940 Scrutiny 9 51 To say that singer's opera is artificial and realistic opera natural is, then, patently oversimple.
over-slack adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈslak/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈslæk/
ΚΠ
a1565 T. Chaloner tr. Ovid Epistolæ Heroidum (1804) II. xvii 379 But now to com for pleasures past And joies enjoyed, I say Thy hope was overslacke, An other hath got thy pray.
1879 E. Arnold Light of Asia vi. 145 The string o'erstretched breaks, and the music flies; The string o'erslack is dumb, and music dies.
over-slavish adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsleɪvɪʃ/
,
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ΚΠ
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) i. xix. 193 He shewed himselfe lustfull and wanton, and overslavish to a beautifull face.
1999 Re: Is there Anything Wrong with this Paragraph? in alt.usage.english (Usenet newsgroup) 30 Oct. I don't believe in over-slavish devotion..to rules.
over-slight adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈslʌɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈslaɪt/
ΚΠ
1605 J. Marston Dutch Courtezan p. i And if our pen in this seeme ouer slight, We striue not to instruct, but to delight.
1645 Bp. J. Hall Remedy Discontentm. viii. 38 This Chicken, that Partridge or Phesant, would (as over-slight food) bee too soon turned over.
2002 Stage (Nexis) 14 Mar. 15 This is a[n] effective device at times..yet there is a niggling feeling it disguises an over-slight script.
† over-slope adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1608 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. iv This Ladder, slippery plac't, doth slide from under: That, over-sloap, snaps in the midst asunder.
over-small adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsmɔːl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsmɔl/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈsmɑl/
ΚΠ
1583 A. Nowell et al. True Rep. Disput. E. Campion sig. F4v The print was ouer small.
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre ii. xlvi. 107 These curious observations (like over-small watches) not one of a hundred goeth true.
1956 ‘C. Blackstock’ Dewey Death i. 13 The strange fact that over-large writing was as invisible as over-small.
over-soft adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɒft/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɔft/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈsɑft/
ΚΠ
a1450 Pater Noster Richard Ermyte (Westm. Sch. 3) (1967) 54 (MED) Þe leche..in gederyng of gresses & temperyng & makyng of salue..ordeyneþ..þat þei ne be ouerhote ne ouercolde, ne ouerbytand ne ouersofte.
1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate (1653) 166 How to compose them [sc. pills] in a fit consistence if they be oversoft.
1969 Sociometry 32 210 Contrasts and comparisons of behaviors (for example, in deciding when the vocal intensity was overloud or oversoft) were made for only this section.
over-solemn adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɒləm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɑləm/
ΚΠ
a1894 R. B. W. Noel Mod. Faust vi, in Coll. Poems (1902) 419 He will beguile Old over-solemn Faces to smile!
1968 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 39 417/1 A touch of humor here and there would have relieved oversolemn passages of soul-searching and self-analysis.
over-sour adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsaʊə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsaʊər/
ΚΠ
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xiii. 43 (MED) Þei ete mete of more coste..Ac her sauce was ouer-soure & vnsauourely grounde, In a morter, post-mortem of many bitter peyne.
1999 R. Nichols tr. H. Halbreich Arthur Honegger xvii. 587 When my over-sour reasoning seems to you to go too far.
over-spacious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈspeɪʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈspeɪʃəs/
ΚΠ
a1617 S. Hieron Wks. (1620) I. Ded. 649 My building..is but small: it will be a blemish to make my entry into it ouerspacious.
1969 Internat. Affairs 45 539 An over-spacious layout and an orgy of often undistinguished photos.
over-squeamish adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskwiːmɪʃ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskwimɪʃ/
ΚΠ
a1592 R. Greene Comicall Hist. Alphonsus (1599) sig. H2v Beware you do not ouersqueamish wax.
1862 Harper's Mag. Apr. 600/2 He had been glad to do some of that not over-squeamish editor's not very nicest work.
1956 R. Tyler Emperor Charles V ix. 191 He was not over-squeamish as to the means by which he gained his ends.
† over-stale adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1579 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 73 The rest in a manner ar..overstale for so queynte and queasye a worlde.
1896 R. Kipling Seven Seas 2 Hold ye the Faith—the Faith our Fathers sealàd us; Whoring not with visions—overwise and overstale.
over-stately adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsteɪtli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsteɪtli/
ΚΠ
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes ii. f. 275 Tarquinius the proude..for his high mynde and ouer stately vsyng his citezens..encurred their mortall disdaigne and hatered.
1606 Returne from Pernassus iii. ii Knights, Lords, & lawyers should be log'd & dwel Within those ouer stately heapes of stone.
1940 Times 18 July 5/6 Our over-stately cavalcade halted to seek the name of a mysterious village.
† over-steadfast adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 27999 If þou..loked wit ouur stedfast sight.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iii. sig. Gg.iiv More then once through the vnchaungeable and ouerstedfaste honestie of a woman was nighe deathes doore.
over-steady adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstɛdi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstɛdi/
ΚΠ
1677 R. Gilpin Dæmonol. Sacra (1867) 123 An oversteady and earnest fixing the eye weakens the sight, and renders the object less truly discernible to us.
1934 C. P. Snow Search iv. iii. 392 I've thought about lots of other jobs... But I've never changed. And, Lord knows, I'm not an over steady man.
over-stiff adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstɪf/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstɪf/
ΚΠ
1655 T. Gouge Narr. Life Dr. Gouge in W. Gouge & T. Gouge Learned Comm. Hebrewes sig. b2 To be over-stiff in holding one thing, or other therein, to the disturbance of the peace of the Church, cometh near to Schisme.
1885 T. Mozley Reminisc. Towns (ed. 2) I. lxv. 438 He was a little over-stiff and staid, but he had to be reserved.
1962 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 266 57 The orthogonal relations derived below do not apply to overstiff triangulated frames.
over-studious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstjuːdɪəs/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈstʃuːdɪəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈst(j)udiəs/
ΚΠ
1607 C. Lever Queene Elizabeths Teares sig. Gv They vex themselues with ouer studious care, To malice her, so much they enuious were.
1844 E. S. Wortley Ernest Mountjoy i. i. 2 The result of a boyish enthusiasm and passion for the marvellous, together with over-studious habits when he was quite a youth.
1990 R. Jordan Eye of World ii. 20 He straightened..turning his attention back to an over-studious tamping of his pipe with a thick thumb.
† over-sublime adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1667 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) i. xv. 31 These are over-sublime reaches of some high-soaring Wits, that think they never fly high enough till they fly out of the sight of common Sense and Reason.
over-superstitious adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsuːpəˈstɪʃəs/
,
/ˌəʊvəsjuːpəˈstɪʃəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌsupərˈstɪʃəs/
ΚΠ
a1656 J. Hales Golden Remains (1659) ii. 136 A nice, minute, and over-superstitious diligence.
1661 Princess Cloria iii. 338 To be so over superstitious in her bashful modesty, that she did not consummate the marriage with Narcissus, when she had the occasion offered.
1993 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 23 May ix. 4/5 That's the kind of thing I have to avoid because I tend to be oversuperstitious anyway.
over-sure adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃʊə/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈʃɔː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃʊ(ə)r/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈʃɔr/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈʃər/
ΚΠ
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 142 Perswasion over-sure . View more context for this quotation
1990 Yale French Stud. No. 78. 60 Saving himself that way, too, as it were, and always oversure of finding salvation in the game itself.
over-susceptible adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsəˈsɛptᵻbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈsɛptəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1843 T. S. Fay Hoboken I. xxv. 161 The boy was not generally thought over-susceptible, but he certainly was enough so to feel the difference between [etc.].
1966 Eng. Stud. 47 286 The connection..is made by the over-susceptible sensibility of Emily.
over-tame adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈteɪm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈteɪm/
ΚΠ
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. v. ii. 293 The Personages who sustain the sceptical or objecting Parts, are over-tame and tractable in their Disposition.
1937 Times 16 Nov. 19/6 They had become overtame; they quacked at the front door from dawn to dusk.
over-tart adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɑːt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɑrt/
ΚΠ
1659 G. Wither Salt upon Salt in Misc. Wks. (1872–7) IV. 26 Excuse my zeal, if over-tart I seem In this point.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Seminary The Gennet-Moyle sweetens and improves the over-tart Apples.
1997 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 30 May 53 Diced beets..with a slightly overtart champagne vinaigrette countered by creamy dots of goat cheese.
over-tense adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɛns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɛns/
ΚΠ
1725 N. Robinson New Theory of Physick 230 This is a plain Indication that the Solids are over-tense; and the only Remedy to relieve them under this Distress is a plentiful Bleeding.
1862 Atlantic Monthly Dec. 759/1 Now the over-tense nerves are all unstraining themselves.
1940 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 5 143 This emergency state of mind, of over-tense emotionalism, cannot endure forever.
over-terrible adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɛrᵻbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɛrəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1646 Bp. J. Hall Balme of Gilead 322 To have thy heart so wrought upon, that this face of death, which seems lovely, and desirable to some, may not appear over-terrible to thee.
1912 tr. Aristophanes Knights in 11 Comedies I. 95 Demos. And what punishment will you inflict upon this Paphlagonian?.. Agoracritus. 'Twill not be over-terrible.
over-thick adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈθɪk/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈθɪk/
ΚΠ
?c1450 in G. Müller Aus Mittelengl. Medizintexten (1929) 60 (MED) Put þe erbis þer-to, and lete þam sethe longe..and ȝif it be ower-thykke, pure more butter and put þer-to, and streyne it efte.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 31 May (1972) VII. 138 My..sister (who is a pretty good-bodied woman and not over-thicke).
1979 Nature 15 Feb. 557/1 Similar conditions apply if the overthick crust is produced by rapid sedimentation.
over-thrifty adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈθrɪfti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈθrɪfti/
ΚΠ
a1640 P. Massinger Guardian i. i, in 3 New Playes (1655) 95 In an Heir 'tis ten times more excusable Then to be over-thrifty.
1957 E. F. Osborn Philos. Clement of Alexandria viii. 101 We should not live in luxury, nor be over-thrifty.
over-tight adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʌɪt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtaɪt/
ΚΠ
1844 R. H. Barham in New Monthly Mag. Feb. 327 And his long black roquelaure, not over tight, Is marked with strange characters.
1896 T. L. De Vinne in Moxon's Mech. Exerc.: Printing (new ed.) II. 424 Over-tight locking-up of the page.
1995 Afr. Amer. Rev. 29 218/2 Loosening the dominant culture's constraints like an overtight necktie.
over-timorous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɪm(ə)rəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɪm(ə)rəs/
ΚΠ
1589 T. Nashe To Students in R. Greene Menaphon Epist. sig. A Their ouertimerous cowardise.
a1672 Bp. J. Wilkins Of Princ. Nat. Relig. (1675) 203 That kind of superstition stiled δεισιδαιμονία, which imports a frightful & over-timorous notion of the Deity.
1966 Hispanic Amer. Hist. Rev. 46 435 Expressed in terms that Latin Americans ordinarily use only with each other, and most over-timorous North Americans are afraid to use at all.
over-true adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtruː/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtru/
ΚΠ
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxv. 165 We haue by ouer true experience bene taught how often..the light euen of common vnderstanding faileth.
1880 A. Trollope Duke's Children I. xxvi. 308 There was an over-true story as to our friend having once been seduced into fighting a duel.
1932 R. Kipling Limits & Renewals 75 The Brethren..bestowed on me a name Infamously overtrue—Such as ‘Bunny’, ‘Stinker’, ‘Podge’.
† over-uberous adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1641 Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia sig. E4 My Lord..drew in too fast like a Child sucking on an over uberous Nurse.
† over-unsuitable adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1667 H. More Divine Dialogues (1713) i. iii. 8 I hope the Argument I shall pitch upon will not appear over-unsuitable.
over-valiant adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvalɪənt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvæljənt/
ΚΠ
1609 T. Heywood Troia Britanica 115 But (ouer valiant) Ganimed extends His valour beyond wisedome.
1834 R. M. Bird Calavar I. i. 35 Raging Mussulmans,..who..run away, a thousand of them together, from six not over-valiant Christians.
1925 H. G. Wells Christina Alberta's Father 235 Now she came back, over-valiant and rash, but just a girl.
over-vehement adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈviːᵻm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈviːhᵻm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈviəmənt/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈvihəmənt/
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia i. 61 My eyes (languishing with ouervehement longing).
1881 E. H. Hickey Story of Argalus & Parthenia in Sculptor 42 The over-vehement constancy Of spotless love.
1964 Hist. Jrnl. 7 104 It looks as if Dufferin had not been over-vehement in his disagreement with Crispi.
over-venturous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɛn(t)ʃ(ə)rəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɛn(t)ʃ(ə)rəs/
ΚΠ
1583 R. Greene Mamillia sig. A2v I thought it but a light matter to bee counted ouer venturous, if I might doe any thing which should shew some part of my duetie vnto your honour.
1867 ‘Ouida’ Under Two Flags II. ix. 264 One over-venturous Spahi scaling the ramparts had been rewarded with so hot a deluge of lentiles-soup..that [etc.].
over-vigorous adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɪɡ(ə)rəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɪɡ(ə)rəs/
ΚΠ
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at July The Pear-tree is now to be minded and disciplin'd too, if Over-vigorous; cutting off all Branches still, that push forward to Half an Inch.
1998 S. Wales Evening Post (Nexis) 5 Sept. 6 Copsey was ordered to take time out for some overvigorous rucking.
over-voluble adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɒljᵿbl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɑljəb(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iii. xi. 177 The chief diseases of the Phancie are, either that they are too wild and high-soaring, or else too low and groveling, or else too desultory and overvoluble.
1986 C. R. Forker Skull beneath Skin vii. 321 Her ‘discourse’..is ‘full of rapture’ yet not overvoluble.
over-wanton adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwɒnt(ə)n/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwɑntən/
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/ˌoʊvərˈwɔntən/
ΚΠ
1596 T. Lodge Margarite of Amer. sig. B4 The two Cupids of Anacreon, which well shaped modestie often seemed to whip lest they should growe ouer wanton.
1834 J. Blackie tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust ii. i. 32 You over-wanton fellow, does your skin For the third time to itch begin?
1916 E. Brehour tr. Gregory of Tours Hist. of Franks ii. xx He was over-wanton in his love for women and was afraid of being killed by the people of Auvergne.
over-wary adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwɛːri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwɛri/
ΚΠ
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. v. ii. §3. 391 The one being so ouer-warie, and the other so hastie.
1946 Canad. Jrnl. Econ. & Polit. Sci. 12 225 Two particular forms of rigidity which have a prominent place in the argument of the book are those for which monopolists and over-wary capitalists are responsible.
over-wayward adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈweɪwəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈweɪwərd/
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) ii. f. 89v He left one, because she was ouerwaiward: another, because she was too soone wonne.
2002 Munster (Ireland) Express 16 Aug. (Sport & Entertainm. section) 2/3 Clare had capitalised on their chances, while Waterford continued to be over wayward with their shooting.
over-wily adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwʌɪli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwaɪli/
ΚΠ
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie cxii. 691 The diuell is ouerwylie for me, and if I cast myself into his nettes what will become of me?
1830 M. W. Shelley Fortunes Perkin Warbeck III. i. 7 He listened, and his words still enticed the over wily Frion.
over-woody adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwʊdi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwʊdi/
ΚΠ
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 213 On to thir mornings rural work they haste Among sweet dewes and flours; where any row Of Fruit-trees overwoodie reachd too farr Thir pamperd boughes. View more context for this quotation
1991 Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) (Nexis) 20 Feb. e1 Italy still mass produces a lot of dull, overwoody wines.
† over-wroth adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. 582 Thus I am..So overwroth in al my thoght That I myself chide al to noght.
over-young adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈjʌŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈjəŋ/
ΚΠ
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) 99 Children that be ouer younge for their studies.
1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge II. xi. 148 There are folk whose turn is before mine; and I'm over young, and may be thought pushing.
1998 Re: Dear Miss Demeanor in rec.arts.sf.fandom (Usenet newsgroup) 7 Oct. The problem of babies being raised by overyoung, immature mothers.
(ii) With present participles, forming adjectives; see also overabounding adj.
† over-boasting adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1607 Trag. Claudius Tiberius Nero sig. E4v If you had beene so valerous As ouer-boasting in thy bumbast tearmes, We might haue [etc.].
† over-bragging adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xxxv. 93 These ouerbragging bluddes, Amasde your mynde.
over-dazzling adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdazl̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdazlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdæz(ə)lɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1707 J. Norris Pract. Treat. Humility ii. 20 The over-dazzling glory of their own perfections.
1907 Jrnl. Philos., Psychol. & Sci. Methods 4 485 To abandon these over-dazzling metaphors, the proving of a truth..comes in the satisfactory experience to which its assumption leads.
over-demanding adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈmɑːndɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvədᵻˈmandɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈmændɪŋ/
,
/ˌoʊvərdiˈmændɪŋ/
ΚΠ
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.
1990 Daily Tel. 22 Oct. 18 Too many over-demanding neurotics satisfying their craving to be the centre of everybody's attention by [etc.].
over-depressing adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈprɛsɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈprɛsɪŋ/
,
/ˌoʊvərdiˈprɛsɪŋ/
ΚΠ
a1600 R. Hooker Learned Serm. Pride in Wks (1888) III. 610 Shake off that over-depressing heaviness.
1997 Re: Dark Skies Ahead in uk.media.tv.sf.misc (Usenet newsgroup) 7 Jan. Highly recommended and much, much better than the over-hyped, over-depressing and over-dull Millennium.
over-exciting adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈsʌɪtɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈsʌɪtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪkˈsaɪdɪŋ/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛkˈsaɪdɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-exciting.
over-grasping adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡrɑːspɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈɡraspɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡræspɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1830 C. M. Sedgwick Clarence II. xv. 274 He had a genuine admiration for Miss Clarence, and the extinction of his o'er-grasping hopes was a serious shock to him.
1995 Time (Nexis) 8 May 58 The constitutional rights of all Americans, she believes, are threatened by an overgrasping, irresponsible government.
† over-itching adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1680 Earl of Rochester et al. Poems 37 Thus was I Rook'd of Twelve substantial Fucks, By these base stinking over itching Nocks.
† over-laughing adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1425 Rule St. Benet (Lansd.) (1902) 14 (MED) Sain benet..bidis þat ye ne sal noght be ouir-laȝand and þinkes what þe prophete sais..þe fool turnes hys þoght in-til laȝter.
† over-nipping adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1577 R. Stanyhurst Hist. Irelande iii. 112/2 in R. Holinshed Chron. I Albeeit their weather were bitter and ouer nipping.
over-pressing adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprɛsɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈprɛsɪŋ/
ΚΠ
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 D. Thomas Portrait of Artist as Young Dog 122 I never felt more a part of the remote and overpressing world, or more full of love and arrogance and pity and humility.
over-refining adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈfʌɪnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvə(r)rəˈfaɪnɪŋ/
,
/ˌoʊvə(r)riˈfaɪnɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1855 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) I. 322 The sceptical, over-refining Toryism of Hume and Montaigne.
† over-slandering adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1835 J. Anster tr. J. W. von Goethe Faustus Pt. II (1864) ii. 137 Once more I come, once more, Erichtho, I the gloomy, Not quite the hideous hag o'erslandering poets picture.
† over-soothing adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1598 J. Dickenson Greene in Conceipt 31 Valeria, whose ouersoothing humor made her interprete flatterie for truth.
1944 Cambr. Mountaineering 36 He..subjected myself to a barrage of heavy blocks of ice, which was not over soothing to my temper.
† over-sparing adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 338 He was thought ouersparing vnto himselfe, as well in his apparrel as in his diet.
1654 Trag. Alphonsus ii. 17 Hath fame been prodigal, Or over sparing in the Princess praise?
1951 Times 6 Sept. 8/3 Her interpretation..was over-sparing of emotional vividness.
† over-staring adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 14v Either a slouinglie busking, or an ouerstaring frounced hed.
† over-warbling adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1647 Earl of Clarendon Contempl. Psalms in 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.
(iii) With past participles in -ed, -en, etc., forming adjectives (see also overacted adj., etc.).
† over-apprehended adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1663 R. Boyle Some Considerations Usefulnesse Exper. Nat. Philos. ii. App. 347 By the over-apprehended unpleasantness of the smell.
over-arranged adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈreɪn(d)ʒd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈreɪndʒd/
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1924 R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm 148 A frail, fair, over-arranged lady kept her waiting in the glove department of the Bon Marché.
1995 Echoes 30 Sept. 28/1 Footprint..is so over-arranged I can't play it.
over-blessed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈblɛst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈblɛst/
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1603 Bp. J. Hall Kings Prophecie xlv. sig. B6 Then shall my Suffolke (Englands Eden hight As England is the worlds) be ouer blest And surfet of the ioy of that deare sight.
1837 N. H. Bannister England's Iron Days ii. i. 15 An earl's son, and, one not quite an ass, 'Though peradventure, not o'er bless'd with brains.
2001 Internat. Wristwatch No. 64. 71 While the modern Lange Perpetual does enjoy a few extra touches the watch doesn't seem to have become over-blessed with functions.
over-borrowed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbɒrəʊd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbɑroʊd/
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/ˌoʊvərˈbɔroʊd/
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1934 Times 26 Nov. 21/5 [He] annoyed the settlers by stating that the colony was ‘over-borrowed’—i.e., that the service of existing loans exceeded the taxable capacity of the colony.
1987 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 23 Nov. 21/1 It's not just the odd over-borrowed financial adventurer from the corporate world who is in a spot of bother now.
† over-chidden adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1840 C. Norton Dream 117 Her startled child, Whose innate sense of justice seem'd to show Him over-chidden, being chidden so.
over-complicated adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɒmplᵻkeɪtᵻd/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɑmpləˌkeɪdᵻd/
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a1889 M. Arnold Rep. Elem. Schools (1889) 238 If our over-complicated machinery for grants on class subjects and on specific subjects is found to interfere with the due following out of a sound programme.
1999 Financial Times 9 Oct. 6/4 With life assurance Isas, the government..came up with an over-complicated product of little appeal.
over-concerned adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈsəːnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈsərnd/
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1721 C. Cibber Refusal iii. 51 Poor Lady! she is a little apt to be over-concern'd for her Poetry.
1941 Mind 50 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.
1995 Guardian 9 Oct. i. 12/4 ‘Nesh’—a word which..means being cowardly, timid or over-concerned with personal comfort.
over-condensed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈdɛnst/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈdɛnst/
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1901 Polit. Sci. Q. 16 150 The account given, though over-condensed, is nevertheless tolerably complete.
1985 Social Forces 64 223 An over-condensed summary of Douglass North's recent book on institutional change.
over-contented adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈtɛntᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈtɛn(t)əd/
ΚΠ
1832 J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn I. 8 The gossip of servingmaids, discordant apprentice boys, and over-contented blacks.
1981 Amer. Hist. Rev. 86 867/1 The vehemence and volume of their twentieth-century historian adherents have blown traditional (and overcontented) liberal historians into well-deserved disarray.
over-controlled adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈtrəʊld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈtroʊld/
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1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby I. iii. v. 312 A burst of energy, a trait of decision, which strikingly contrasted with the somewhat over-controlled character of her life in drawing-rooms.
1992 S. Conran Crimson 412 Trembling, she reached backward for the telephone. ‘June? No more calls please.’ Her voice was slightly overcontrolled.
over-cultivated adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌltᵻveɪtᵻd/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəltəˌveɪdᵻd/
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1832 J. K. Paulding Westward Ho! I. ii. 13 At length it gave up the ghost, and, like an over-cultivated intellect, became incurably barren.
1991 S. Faludi Backlash iii. xi. 296 Weed the Bloomian garden of its overcultivated metaphors, polysyllabic flourishes, and profuse quotation and you're left with a scholarly wasteland.
over-cultured adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌltʃəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəltʃərd/
ΚΠ
1901 Westm. Gaz. 21 Dec. 7/3 Barbara, do be true to your nicer and feminine self rather than your unpleasant and over-cultured self.
1940 A. M. Lindbergh Diary 12 Nov. in War within & Without (1980) 152 One had the feeling that this..man had more of the truth than any of the other overcultured, overcivilized diplomats.
over-dignified adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɪɡnᵻfʌɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɪɡnəˌfaɪd/
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1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) To Parl. sig. A3v To put a garrison upon his neck of empty and overdignifi'd precepts.
1879 Harper's Mag. Apr. 800/2 The labor was monotonous, not overdignified, and certainly exhaustive to the salivary glands.
1994 Prague Post (Nexis) 12 Oct. The Poles are traditionally viewed with slight disparagement as overdignified.
over-diluted adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədʌɪˈl(j)uːtᵻd/
,
/ˌəʊvədᵻˈl(j)uːtᵻd/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈludəd/
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/ˌoʊvərˌdaɪˈludəd/
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1926 in N.E.D. at Weak a. 15 a Of an infusion: Over-diluted.
1995 Nutrition Res. 15 785 Nonhygenic preparation of over-diluted formula or starch gruels.
† over-distempered adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1688 J. Norris Theory & Regulation Love ii. v. 133 With as much unwillingness and reluctancy as the Soul leaves her over-distemper'd Body.
over-distended adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈstɛndᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈstɛndəd/
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1824 Lancet 13 Nov. 199/2 The larger arteries..are alike overdistended.
2000 European Jrnl. Pediatric Surg. 10 328 Repeated scans showed overdistended hyperechogenic lungs with inverted diaphragm and a dilated trachea.
over-dulled adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʌld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdəld/
ΚΠ
c1410 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 444 (MED) A þat ouer-dulled slouthe, þe whiche þus scharpe prikkes been to blunte for to stire.
1997 Lloyd's List (Nexis) 12 Aug. 5 Those whose senses have not become over dulled will have spotted..news that [etc.].
over-edited adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛdᵻtᵻd/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛdədəd/
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1887 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 8 512 It is bad enough to be flooded with unnecessary and perfunctory editions of already over-edited school classics.
1978 G. Greene Human Factor vi. ii. 322 It was the commentary by the old comrade which took up all the space, like the footnotes of an over-edited book.
over-emotionalized adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈməʊʃn̩əlʌɪzd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈməʊʃn̩l̩ʌɪzd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈməʊʃənl̩ʌɪzd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈməʊʃ(ə)nəlʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈmoʊʃənəˌlaɪzd/
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/ˌoʊvəriˈmoʊʃənəˌlaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1901 Atlantic Monthly Nov. 650/1 I don't suppose one man out of a thousand would have done other than you did,—let an overemotionalized girl love him.
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.
over-enamoured adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻˈnaməd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛˈnaməd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻˈnæmərd/
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/ˌoʊvərɛˈnæmərd/
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1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. I2 Perhaps her outward grace, Here discrib'd, hath tane such place, In some ore-enamourd breast.
1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 56 Some, o'er-enamour'd of their Bags, run mad.
1993 Electronic Learning (Nexis) Jan. 50 In a world often overenamored of change for change's sake.
over-enlarged adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻnˈlɑːdʒd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛnˈlɑːdʒd/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈlɑrdʒd/
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/ˌoʊvərɛnˈlɑrdʒd/
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1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. xi. 82 With pressed and heaped and euen ouer-inlarged measure.
1994 Callaloo 17 827 Vega's stories use humor to..deflate over-enlarged male egos.
over-expanded adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈspandᵻd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈspandᵻd/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪkˈspændəd/
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/ˌoʊvərɛkˈspændəd/
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1876 J. B. L. Warren Soldier of Fortune ii. i. 63 Gone like the shadow of a rose petal, When the great mother-flower dissolves in fragments Her o'er-expanded beautiful great heart.
1965 H. J. Habbakuk in D. V. Glass & D. E. C. Eversley Population in Hist. vii. 157 These epidemics..cannot have been a Malthusian punishment inflicted on an overexpanded population.
over-fattened adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfatnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfætnd/
ΚΠ
1830 J. F. Cooper Water Witch I. i. 9 He and the negro last mentioned mounted the sluggish and over-fattened horses, and gallopped..several miles deeper into the island.
1988 Nation's Restaurant News (Nexis) 26 Sept. f3 The Reagan administration's original pledge to sharply reduce the overfattened bureaucracy.
over-formed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɔːmd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɔrmd/
ΚΠ
1877 S. J. Owen in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches Introd. p. xlv Wellesley..was anxious to secure fresh and malleable ‘material’, rather than overformed or misformed agents.
1967 Jrnl. Risk & Insurance 34 377/2 Recent years have seen life insurers continue to be under-capitalized and ‘over-formed’.
over-franchised adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfran(t)ʃʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfrænˌ(t)ʃaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 49 Over-franchized people, are devills with smooth snaffles in their mouthes.
1991 San Diego Business Jrnl. (Nexis) 4 Feb. 16 More people are leaving the franchise business... Our lives are overfranchised.
over-gunned adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡʌnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡənd/
ΚΠ
c1694 in Naval Misc. (1912) (Navy Rec. Soc.) II. 162 A sailing ship..being over-masted, over-rigged, over-gunned.
1805 Ld. Nelson Let. 2 Jan. in Dispatches & Lett. (1846) VI. 313 The Ventura..is over-gunned.
1989 Rev. in Amer. Hist. 17 355 Ships like the Mary Rose and the Vasa were overgunned and sank on their maiden voyages.
over-handled adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhandld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhænd(ə)ld/
ΚΠ
1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. F You will fall againe, Into your idle ouer-handled theame. View more context for this quotation
1888 R. Kipling Thrown Away in Plain Tales from Hills 16 An over-handled colt falls down and cuts himself when he gets away from the groom.
1956 H. Gold Man who was not with It xviii. 162 An overhandled rattler.
over-inked adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪŋ(k)t/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɪŋ(k)t/
ΚΠ
1930 Mod. Lang. Notes 45 337 Too many instances of bad letters—sometimes overinked but more usually not inked enough.
1967 R. R. Karch & E. J. Buber Graphic Arts Procedures: Offset Processes viii. 281 A heavy flow of ink will cause over-inked copy resulting in scum.
over-interested adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪntrᵻstᵻd/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɪnt(ə)rɛstᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɪnt(ə)rəstəd/
ΚΠ
a1744 A. Pope Let. in W. Ayre Mem. A. Pope (1745) II. 56 Methinks, it shows an over-interested Affection to be sad, because she has left us to better her Condition.
1995 M. Amis Information (1996) 191 Frequenters of health clubs were by definition overinterested in the body and often wanted to push it in both directions.
over-jaded adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒeɪdᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒeɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 49 May you liue, Till you haue nought to take, nor none to giue, For your ore-iaded pleasure.
1725 J. Glanvill tr. Seneca Troas ii, in Poems 250 When the eas'd Corps, like an o'er-jaded Slave At length set free, lies quiet in the Grave.
1994 Wilmington (N. Carolina) Star-News (Nexis) 12 Nov. 6 d Conveying the sense of an over-jaded adult trapped forever in the body of a 6-year-old.
over-mechanized adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɛkənʌɪzd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈmɛkn̩ʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɛkəˌnaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1929 Times 3 Oct. 15/4 The multitude of over-civilized, or at any rate over-mechanized, workers who will be asked to seek there the amusement and recreation they like.
1940 Man 40 95/2 It is rather in the simplicity and poverty of the inaccessible Karakoram than in the industrial restlessness of the over-mechanized west that real civilization is to be found.
1991 A. Wood Hist. Siberia 78 Overspecialized, overmechanized urban society, where the world of adults is sharply divided from that of children.
over-nourished adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnʌrɪʃt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnərɪʃt/
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/ˌoʊvərˈnʊrɪʃt/
ΚΠ
?a1834 S. T. Coleridge Marginalia (1998) IV. 77 A new-invented verb by the Doctors [sc. hypertrophied]; meaning over-grown or over-nourished.
1889 Amer. Naturalist 23 502 The ability of such over-nourished cells to go on segmenting only as result of the union of such pairs of unequal dimensions.
2000 Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nexis) 15 Mar. 9 Policemen who've grown uhhh, overnourished, by helping themselves to free meals at the expense of hapless carinderia owners.
over-offended adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈfɛndᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈfɛndəd/
ΚΠ
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 266. ⁋1 Will. Honeycomb calls these over-offended Ladies, the Outragiously Virtuous.
2000 Africa News (Nexis) 13 Oct. Why should the Igbo ministers, government appointees, professionals and private personalities cower beneath a bawling Obasanjo at the supreme expense of their over-offended ethnic group?
over-oiled adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɔɪld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɔɪld/
ΚΠ
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 100 Paraffin good for over-oiled boots.
1994 Clothes Show Mag. May 26/2 Screaming and cheering at each glimpse of over-oiled flesh, teenagers and thirtysomethings alike are far from shy about revealing their basic instincts.
over-packed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpakt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpækt/
ΚΠ
1839 N. P. Willis in Corsair 9 Nov. 544/1 Carriages of the neighbouring gentry, with ‘bodkins’ and over-packed dickeys, all in costume.
1994 Pacific Affairs 67 339 This compounded the urban malaise of overpacked buses, reduced car speed and worsened traffic congestion.
over-padded adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpadᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpædəd/
ΚΠ
1920 J. G. Brooks Labor's Challenge to Social Order xi. 198 Unorganized labor as well as syndicalists already express their dread of the ‘over-padded State’.
1957 Shakespeare Q. 8 469 Dudley Jones was a delightful ‘little-man’-sized Dogberry—a pleasant change from the over-padded variety.
over-pampered adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpampəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpæmpərd/
ΚΠ
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie iii. 17 They play the ouer~pampered Iades which fall to kicking against their maisters.
1853 C. Mathews Calmstorm iv. viii. 54 A banker's coach backed for the rich man's ease—From restiveness of his o'erpampered horses, Pushed him from the wharf's end.
1986 Nation (N.Y.) (Nexis) 27 Sept. 276 Too many athletes are overpampered individuals who have been told all their life that they are special because they can throw a ball or run swiftly.
over-perfumed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpəːfjuːmd/
,
/ˌəʊvəpəˈfjuːmd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvər(ˌ)pərˈfjumd/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈpərˌfjumd/
ΚΠ
1808 J. N. Barker Indian Princess iii. i. 46 These dresses, All o'er perfum'd with the self-same pomado.
1857 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 28 An over-perfumed softness pervades the poetry of society.
1989 S. Sucharitkul Moon Dance iii. x. 377 These barbarian women possessed an innate modesty that many an overdressed, overperfumed woman of means might envy.
over-polished adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɒlɪʃt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɑlɪʃt/
ΚΠ
1844 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 422 Sir John Jervis was by nature..blunt in his manner, and not overpolished in his language.
1938 H. Nicolson Let. 22 Apr. (1966) 337 An ex-diplomatist with those overpolished manners, that boulevard extérieur elegance, which always faintly annoys me.
2000 Marie Claire July 143/2 A ball in which the dancers slide out of control on an overpolished floor.
over-qualified adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkwɒlᵻfʌɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkwɑləˌfaɪd/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈkwɔləˌfaɪd/
ΚΠ
1953 Times 24 Nov. 1/3 (advt.) Over-qualified man..seeks moderate job London area.
1992 G. Brandreth & M. Brown How to Interview 105 You may find that an overqualified person will quickly become dissatisfied and leave.
† over-ravished adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1594 T. Nashe Terrors of Night in Wks. (1883–4) III. 268 Too much sodaine content and ouer-rauished delight.
1680 A. Behn in Earl of Rochester Poems 87 The o'er-ravish'd Shepherd lies Unable to perform the Sacrifice.
over-reserved adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈzəːvd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈzərvd/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈzərvd/
ΚΠ
1691 J. Wilson Belphegor iii. i. 28 Not much of the Wise, Less of the Precise, Nor over reserv'd, nor yet flying.
1909 Daily Chron. 14 June 5/6 I find that the character which has been given to English people of being over-reserved is quite undeserved. We have been received everywhere with the utmost warmth.
over-restrained adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈstreɪnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈstreɪnd/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈstreɪnd/
ΚΠ
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. xlviii. 101 An ouer-restrayned consideration of prayer.
1928 Jrnl. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 23 218 A thoughtful and judicious, though certainly an over-restrained, consideration of the meaning and way of remedy.
over-schematized adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskiːmətʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskiməˌtaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1910 Jrnl. Philos., Psychol. & Sci. Methods 7 163 The author..suggests an elaborate (and somewhat over-schematized) classification of feelings.
1990 16th Cent. Jrnl. 21 665 This over-schematized picture of conditions in Mühlhausen leads Brendler to speculate that Müntzer might have had to go into opposition had the revolution succeeded.
over-sensitized adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɛnsᵻtʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɛnsəˌtaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1912 E. Underhill Mysticism (ed. 4) i. i. 22 We are hopelessly over-sensitized for the part science calls us to play.
1975 New Yorker 26 May 18/2 Blow-up... An over-sensitized and wildly misaccented account of the mod, mad world of London, 1966.
over-sophisticated adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsəˈfɪstᵻkeɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈfɪstəˌkeɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1838 J. F. Cooper Home as Found I. iv. 60 Much that is wanting would be missed only by the over-sophisticated.
1918 R. Wagner Film Folk i. 12 But that was before the film fans became oversophisticated.
1993 N.Y. Times 7 Nov. ii. 35/4 We didn't want to become oversophisticated in some way; it had to have the sense of a party.
over-speculated adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈspɛkjᵿleɪtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈspɛkjəˌleɪdᵻd/
ΚΠ
1954 Systematic Zool. 3 128/2 A careful and dispassionate analysis of some of the most overspeculated-upon fossils ever to be unearthed.]
1971 D. Potter Brit. Elizabethan Stamps xv. 163 Prices began to rise on all sides. Only the overspeculated commemoratives failed to make progress.
over-spiritualized adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈspɪrᵻtʃᵿlʌɪzd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈspɪrᵻtʃl̩ʌɪzd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈspɪrᵻtjᵿlʌɪzd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈspɪrᵻtʃ(əw)əˌlaɪzd/
ΚΠ
1892 W. Winter Shadows of Stage xii. 199 That corroding, haunted gloom that comes of an over-spiritualised state of suffering, longing, questioning, doubting humanity.
1960 19th-cent. Fiction 15 214 As overspiritualized modern man he is equally blind to Eustacia's primitiveness.
over-structured adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstrʌktʃəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstrək(t)ʃərd/
ΚΠ
1951 G. W. Allport Use Personal Documents Psychol. Sci. xii. 167 A theoretical mind but one not overstructured with detailed convictions.
1990 Times Educ. Suppl. 7 Sept. 19/1 How controlled will the group be on site? Will the experience be over-structured?
over-sugared adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃʊɡəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃʊɡərd/
ΚΠ
1854 T. Martin Correggio ii. 45 And what an over-sugar'd smile? The picture's excellent.
1994 Speculum 69 1090 He regards a dining table sagging with overvaried, overspiced, oversugared dishes as blasphemous.
† over-swilled adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 186 Like over-swilled voters at an election.
over-tamed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈteɪmd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈteɪmd/
ΚΠ
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 63 It [sc. the ox] is called a plower,..fearful, overtamed, drudges.
1999 Re: up North in alt.arts.poetry.comments (Usenet newsgroup) 6 Feb. That half-felt sense of what should be that I had growing up in over-tamed farmland.
over-tossed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɒst/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɔst/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈtɑst/
ΚΠ
1643 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (1851) v. 32 Charity ought to venture much, and use bold physick, lest an over-tost faith indanger to shipwrack.
2002 thedwg.com 22 Oct. (O.E.D. Archive) ‘We can only hope this trip will do her some good,’ Marge concluded, hauling the over-tossed salad away from Lizzy's eager salad utensils.
over-vitrified adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɪtrᵻfʌɪd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɪtrəˌfaɪd/
ΚΠ
1783 Philos. Trans. 1782 (Royal Soc.) 72 306 At some times an unvitrified mass, and at others an over-vitrified scoria.
1997 Re: Probl. with Home Dug Clay in Clayart (Electronic mailing list) 27 Aug. Too much spar, and the body is over vitrified and too brittle and it is real tough to fit glazes as well.
† over-womanized adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1861 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner vii. 80 This almost over-womanized woman, might well have bewitched him.
† over-wrested adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 157 Such to be pitied and ore-rested seeming, He acts thy greatnesse in.
(iv) With adjectives in -ed formed on nouns, forming adjectives (many of them ad hoc formations) with the sense ‘provided with an excess of (the specified commodity, attribute, etc.)’; see also oversexed adj., etc.
over-ambitioned adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)amˈbɪʃnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌæmˈbɪʃənd/
ΚΠ
1661 R. Boyle Some Considerations Style Script. 175 Out of a Criminal fondnesse of the over-ambition'd Title of a Wit.
2002 home.arcor.de 4 Nov. (O.E.D. Archive) She thought of herself as a better snub fighter jockey than any man and she used every little opportunity to try to prove it. To say she was over-ambitioned was an understatement.
over-brained adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbreɪnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbreɪnd/
ΚΠ
1650 N. Ward Discolliminium 17 Over-brain'd Burrow-headed Men, restlesse in studying new things.
1934 E. Pound Eleven New Cantos xxxv. 24 We find the land over-brained.
over-churched adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃəːtʃt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃərtʃt/
ΚΠ
1869 H. James Let. 13 Oct. (1974) I. 150 I have not yet opened the chapter of churches, having been recently rather over-churched.
1934 Sun (Baltimore) 27 Nov. 22/8 (heading) County districts are overchurched.
1986 Times 27 May 12/6 Kent is nowhere near so over-churched as some areas.
† over-commentaried adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1857 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 243 Spedding's first volume of Bacon is out; some seven hundred pages; and the Reviews already begin to think it over-commentaried.
† over-empired adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1888 J. A. Froude Eng. in W. Indies 357 If she [sc. England] decides that her hands are too full, that she is over-empired and cannot attend to them.
over-garrisoned adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡarᵻsnd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡɛrəsənd/
ΚΠ
1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. v. i. 2 I hear they have sent the guards down by a special train, and a hundred more of the police. London is not overgarrisoned.
1998 Re: Celts rebuff Saxon Invasions in soc.history.what-if (Usenet newsgroup) 15 Feb. Gaul was over-garrisoned at the time and so the troops were available to be used somewhere else.
over-hopped adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhɒpt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈhɑpt/
ΚΠ
1572 J. Jones Benefit Bathes of Buckstones f. 10 Meane Ale, neyther to new, nor to stale, not ouerhopped.
1995 Record (Bergen County, New Jersey) (Nexis) 26 July f2 Well-hopped, some might say overhopped, beer has long been in vogue on the West Coast.
over-leisured adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɛʒəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɛʒərd/
ΚΠ
1640 Bp. J. Hall Christian Moderation ii. 35 An overleasured Italian hath made a long discourse; how a man may walke all day through the streets of Rome in the shade.
1925 Amer. Econ. Rev. 15 780 This energy is to a great extent wasted as yet—to the stultification of overleisured women and the loss of society.
† over-melodied adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares 16 b As Archesilaus ouer-melodied, and too-much melowed and sugred with sweet tunes,..caused his eares to be new relished with harsh sower and vnsauory sounds.
† over-mettled adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1770 H. Brooke Fool of Quality V. xvii. 257 The fractured harness of an over-mettled horse.
over-muscled adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmʌsld/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈməs(ə)ld/
ΚΠ
1924 Times 29 Nov. 7/2 No. 3..is unfortunate in being very short for his great weight and considerably over-muscled.
1991 Renaissance Stud. 5 438 The limbs of a figure with gratia should be ‘gentile e distese’, not overmuscled and not wooden.
over-officered adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɒfᵻsəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɔfəsərd/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈɑfəsərd/
ΚΠ
1874 Economist 28 Nov. 1124/2 Ireland..has unquestionably been quite over-officered—notably as regards judges.
1994 Kitchener-Waterloo (Ont.) Record (Nexis) 6 Dec. a8 Canada has one of the most over-officered military structures in the world.
† over-provendered adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1641 J. Milton Of Prelatical Episc. 21 Reducing into Order their usurping, and over provender'd Episcopants.
over-renneted adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛnᵻtᵻd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvə(r)ˈrɛnədəd/
ΚΠ
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. B2 Come thou not neere those men, who are like Bread O're-leven'd; or like Cheese o're-renetted.
1890 C. E. M. Martin Austral. Girl xii. 197 He is like cheese o'er renneted; so much in earnest that he can enjoy hardly any of the play of life.
† over-sorrowed adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) 4 The much wrong'd and over-sorrow'd state of matrimony.
over-timbered adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɪmbəd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɪmbərd/
ΚΠ
1674 W. Petty Disc. before Royal Soc. 46 If the Ship of 50 Tuns were not over~timbered.
1969 Shell Guide to Wales 226/1 It is certainly a curious house, over-timbered rather than half-timbered.
over-tongued adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʌŋd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtəŋd/
ΚΠ
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. O3 Wherein he..so farre out-strips ouer-tunged Beldam Roome.
1860 A. C. Swinburne Queen-mother iv. ii. 111 Give me water to cool out This o'er-tongued fever of intemperance.
over-weaponed adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwɛp(ə)nd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwɛpənd/
ΚΠ
1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. Ev His inuention is ouerweapond.
2002 Tampa (Florida) Tribune (Nexis) 30 Oct. 14 Those who see the idiocy of our overweaponed culture.
(c) With nouns.Of these Old English shows examples under 2b(c)(ii), 2b(c)(iii), and 2b(c)(iv); e.g. overeat n., overdrink n., overspeech n.; overbitterness n., oferetolnes, ofersēocnes; ofercræft, oferield, overlove n., ofernēod, oferȳð.Some words listed here are occasionally used as count nouns in the sense ‘an instance of the specified excessive action, excess of the specified quality, etc.’
(i) Forming verbal nouns in -ing, from verbs in over- (sense 2b(a)), or formed independently by prefixing over- to verbal nouns in -ing; see also overabounding n., etc.
† over-aggravating n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) ii. xxiv. 12 An over-aggravating of faults to make ourselves seem no children.
over-bathing n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbeɪðɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbeɪðɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1781 H. Walpole Let. 21 Dec. in Corr. (1971) XXV. 220 Mr Morrice is still at Bath..weakened by over-bathing.
1986 Toronto Star (Nexis) 10 July c4 Dry skin..is often the result of overbathing.
† over-belling n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 254 The ouerbelling of a Falcon, puts hir to a greater payne & trouble, than needes.
over-boasting n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbəʊstɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈboʊstɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1630 Conceits, Clinches (1860) 40 A cobler newly underlayd Here for his overboasting.
2001 Orlando Sentinel (Nexis) 25 Nov. h1 Shmuger has had his share of marketing failures, including..Last Action Hero... ‘It was a hard lesson in overboasting,’ Shmuger said.
over-breeding n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbriːdɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbridɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1879 Scribner's Monthly Jan. 431/1 Over-breeding to trotters is said to have had a pernicious effect on the native stock.
1890 N. Amer. Rev. May 561 The overbreeding of a very amiable..race, on a soil which will not support them, is what no government can prevent.
1991 Women 48 The visual evidence presented to us..has implied Black sexuality and overbreeding to be the cause of the problem.
over-cleaning n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkliːnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈklinɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering (1830) II. xv. 196 A knife and fork, which had not been worn out by overcleaning.
2000 New Yorker (Nexis) 18 Dec. 78 The full effect of this dramatic chiaroscuro is no longer apparent, due to a brutal overcleaning of the face.
† over-cockering n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xl. 238 Learne that this ouercockering is wicked.
† over-deeming n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1612 T. Taylor Αρχὴν Ἁπάντων: Comm. Epist. Paul to Titus ii. 6 These ouerweenings and ouerdeemings of youth.
† over-descanting n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. vii. 406 Over-descanting with wit, had not become the plain song, and simplicity of an holy style.
over-drugging n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdrʌɡɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdrəɡɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1850 Water-cure Libr. (heading) Remarks on Medical Habits, in reference to Chronic Disease. Ill effects of 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.
over-editing n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛdᵻtɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛdədɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1902 Mod. Lang. Notes 49/1 Sixty-nine fairly open pages of notes should not be liable to the charge of ‘over-editing’ in case of a text of seven thousand six hundred lines.
1985 Isis 76 80 Overediting may be much worse than none at all.
over-farming n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɑːmɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɑrmɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1943 J. S. Huxley TVA vi. 33 Over-farming was not the only exploitation.
1995 L. Garrett Coming Plague (new ed.) xi. 355 Overfarming was producing dust bowls, rendering the once fertile, feral lands nonarable wastelands.
over-fasting n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɑːstɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈfastɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfæstɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §831 Over-fasting doth (many times) cause the Appetite to cease.
1662 Duchess of Newcastle Comical Hash i. iv, in Playes Written 562 Poets [are] like those Bodyes that becomes lean by over-fasting.
1999 Jerusalem Rep. (Nexis) 5 July 28 Discussions of overfasting in Tractate Ta'anit [of the Talmud].
over-grasping n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡrɑːspɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈɡraspɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡræspɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1673 E. Coles Pract. Disc. God's Sovereignty 24 By over-grasping we may sprain our Hands, and unfit 'em for Service otherwise within their compass.
1999 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 93 625 If the unjust person were not excessively devoted to goods like honor, money, or power, the community would be better off, for such overgrasping inevitably leads to social disorder and mastery.
over-judging n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒʌdʒɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒədʒɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1640 E. Reynolds Treat. Passions xxvii The overflowing of their fears seems to have been grounded on the overjudging of an adverse power.
2000 Re: Communication Training in misc.kids.moderated (Usenet newsgroup) 31 Oct. Misstating one's subjectivity can become an error of over-judging (‘vanilla is an awful flavor’).
over-liking n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlʌɪkɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlaɪkɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 6 To increase your..longinge vpwards, and to decrease all over~lyking here beneathe.
1631 W. Cornwallis Ess. (ed. 2) ii. xlix. 309 The flattered have the disease of over-liking.
1966 Sociometry 29 205 Over-liking (liking more than being liked in return) showed significant differences among the six yielding patterns.
over-meddling n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɛdl̩ɪŋ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈmɛdlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɛd(ə)lɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1847 H. Austin in Edinb. Rev. Jan. 221 Over-governing, that is, an over-meddling by governments with the interests and concerns of their subjects.
1998 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 2 Feb. a22/1 The Legislature must try to resist overmeddling.
over-multiplying n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmʌltᵻplʌɪɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈməltəˌplaɪɪŋ/
ΚΠ
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 13 Our Romanists exceed..both in over-multiplying, and over-magnifying of it.
2000 Re: A Perfect God in alt.christnet.bible (Usenet newsgroup) 2 Mar. Predators keep any given population from over-multiplying.
over-packaging n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpakɪdʒɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpækədʒɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1972 Computers & Humanities 7 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.
1991 Green Mag. Guide to Home 1 iv. 59/1 Overpackaging is employed not only to prompt sales, but as proof of purchase.
over-packing n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpakɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpækɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1867 Sci. Amer. 6 Apr. 220/2 Last year, no less than seven or eight corpses..were taken from the carriages of this line..—victims to a barbarous system of over-packing.
1967 R. R. Karch & E. J. Buber Graphic Arts Procedures: Offset Processes vii. 262 Repeat until satisfactory, but avoid overpacking.
over-pinching n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpɪn(t)ʃɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpɪn(t)ʃɪŋ/
ΚΠ
a1591 H. Smith Wks. (1866) I. 30 Her overpinching at last causeth her good housewifery to be evil spoken of.
2002 www.acroassociates.com 23 Oct. (O.E.D. Archive) The pinch gap..is sized according to the wall thickness of the tubing to prevent over-pinching and consequent damage to the tubing.
over-planning n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplanɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈplænɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1931 E. S. Smith Reducing Seasonal Unemployment viii. 155 Overplanning without customer acceptance is just as bad as underplanning.
2002 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 26 July a21/1 To indulge in economic overplanning or try to micromanage the future.
over-ploughing n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplaʊɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈplaʊɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1762 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry I. 72 Land abused by over-plowing after chalking, or plowed as long as it will carry over.
1998 Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram (Nexis) 4 Oct. 3 Millions of tons of topsoil—once anchored by deep-rooted native grasses before the overplowing of the 1920s.
over-pruning n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpruːnɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈprunɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1797 Trans. Soc. Arts 15 157 Nothing can be worse than thinning them by over-pruning.
1989 New Phytologist 113 432/1 A deficit of photoassimilates resulting from overpruning and over cropping.
over-revving n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛvɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvə(r)ˈrɛvɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1976 F. Greenland Misericordia Drop i. v. 39 After some predictable over-revving with the clutch out, they were off.
1998 Transport News Aug. 44/2 Used with a single downsplit, the ZF intarder would hold back a fully weighted rig with the rev counter at a cool 1,800, and no over-revving of the engine.
over-soiling n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɔɪlɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɔɪlɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1959 Times 12 Jan. 11/3 It is advisable to avoid over-soiling and consequent hard rubbing.
over-striving n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstrʌɪvɪŋ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstraɪvɪŋ/
ΚΠ
1614 S. Latham Falconry ii. xxviii. 126 This thing is speciall good for any Hawke that hath taken this forenamed disease, by ouerstriuing, or streining her selfe or other misfortune.
1957 W. L. Warner in R. B. Gittler Rev. Sociol. viii. 224 Unfulfilled status aspirations, blocked mobility, the overstriving of the very successful.
(ii) With other nouns expressing actions or conditions, whether identical in form with a corresponding verb, or combined with a suitable suffix (as -ion, -ment, -ure, -nce, -age, -ice, etc.). More established words of both types (as overbid n., overcharge n., overexercise n., over-influence n., etc.; overachievement n., overaction n., etc.) are treated as main entries.
over-abuse n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈbjuːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈbjus/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-abuse.
1947 Public Opinion Q. 11 331 The high antagonism of the best-off sections of the community..has tended to over-abuse of the Russians.
over-accentuation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əksɛntʃʊˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)aksɛntʃʊˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)əksɛntjʊˈeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)aksɛntjʊˈeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərækˌsɛn(t)ʃuˈeɪʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvərəkˌsɛn(t)ʃuˈeɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1881 Scribner's Monthly Mar. 926/1 Most completely do the Collas reductions of famous statues fail to give the calm breadth of their originals, owing to over-accentuation.
1971 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 36 250/2 Marx's overaccentuation of the conflict of economic interests.
over-accumulation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əkjuːmjᵿˈleɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˌkjumjəˈleɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1819 N. Amer. Rev. Mar. 299 One thing more, which we urge..as a fault..is an over accumulation in describing.
1987 Soviet Stud. 39 328 The labour shortage relative to existing capital investment is an aspect of over-accumulation.
over-addiction n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈdɪkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈdɪkʃən/
ΚΠ
1662 Life & Death Mrs. Mary Frith Prol. 22 She might well through her over addiction to this loose and licentious sporting have forgot and blotted out any easie impression.
1867 M. Arnold On Study Celtic Lit. 177 Her over-addiction to the Ilissus.
1936 Amer. Econ. Rev. 26 254 It is possible that over-addiction to the principle of continuity betrayed Marshall.
over-arousal n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈraʊzl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈraʊzəl/
ΚΠ
1957 R. B. Malmo in Psychol. Rev. 64 283/2 If our theory is correct, anxiety may be considered as a ‘disease of overarousal’.
1988 Natural Choice ii. 18/1 Over-arousal can sometimes be a side-effect, and ginseng should not be taken with other stimulants.
over-aspiration n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)aspᵻˈreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌæspəˈreɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1928 I. C. Ward Phonetics of Eng. xiii. 115 In order to cure over-aspiration, it is necessary to tell the pupil to make the contact firm and the release vigorous.
1993 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 38 115 The role of transfer is generally demonstrated here based on a process such as over-aspiration—i.e., transfer and hyper-explicit articulation.
over-assumption n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈsʌm(p)ʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈsəm(p)ʃən/
ΚΠ
1867 ‘Ouida’ Under Two Flags III. ix. 234 ‘Oh yes!’ answered Cigarette, with an over-assumption of carelessness.
1984 Amer. Econ. Rev. 74 281/1 Even indulging in overassumption of quantifiable costs..one can see that the benefits appear to be very substantial.
over-attachment n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈtatʃm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈtætʃmənt/
ΚΠ
1817 S. T. Coleridge Let. 15 Apr. (1959) IV. 722 Irritability or over-attachment to my own productions.
1997 Sojourner (Nexis) Nov. 33 There's been an overattachment to '60s models of organizing.
over-attention n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈtɛnʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈtɛn(t)ʃən/
ΚΠ
1757 C. Powys Passages from Diaries Mrs. Powys (1899) 26 Poor Mrs. Slater was..taken very ill... We feared..it was..her over-attention to her friends, having the house so very full of company.
1855 A. Trollope Warden viii. 117 His fault, if he had one, was an over-attention to words instead of things.
1988 G. Palmer Politics of Breastfeeding iv. 90 The extremes of bitchiness and horror shown by some adults' over-attention to a baby is more than a cultural habit.
over-blame n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbleɪm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbleɪm/
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1857 N. Amer. Rev. Apr. 518 M. Michelet would be so blind to his virtues, that his portrait would be false from over-blame.
1919 G. Saintsbury Hist. French Novel II. x. 367 Admitting..that it is wrong to meet overpraise with overblame.
† over-broil n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1597 T. Middleton Wisdome of Solomon Paraphr. ix. sig. M2v The one doth keepe his meane in ouerbroyle.
over-civilization n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsɪvl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvəsɪvᵻlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌsɪvələˈzeɪʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərˌsɪvəˌlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
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1846 H. W. Herbert Roman Traitor x. 143 Despising the Roman..for what he deemed his over-craftiness and over-civilization.
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. x. 245 Not a vice which is shallowly called ‘effete’ or the ‘product of overcivilization’, but originated before man was man.
1993 Washington Post (National Weekly ed.) 19 Apr. 36/2 Taking up arms and exorcising the namby-pamby demons of overcivilization on hunting and camping retreats.
over-claim n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvəkleɪm/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈkleɪm/
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U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌkleɪm/
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/ˌoʊvərˈkleɪm/
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1880 J. Muirhead tr. Gaius Institutes iv. 297 There is over-claim in respect of amount.
1991 Daily Tel. 27 May 5/3 (advt.) Now, no one can accuse us of overclaim.
over-classification n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəklasᵻfᵻˈkeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌklæsəfəˈkeɪʃən/
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1885 Science 28 Aug. 172/1 I recognize the same spirit in the present popular rage for an over-classification, unification, and simplification of science.
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.
over-commitment n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəˈmɪtm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəˈmɪtmənt/
ΚΠ
1931 Polit. Sci. Q. 46 223 [Control] of capital allocation to prevent under- and over-commitments to physical plant.
1996 Total Sport July 62/1 A day of hectic activity, improbable over-commitment and outright disorganisation.
over-concern n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈsəːn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈsərn/
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1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VI. cxvi. 369 She has too often forfeited that peace of mind, which she so much prefers, by her over-concern to preserve it.
1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. Pref. p. xvii I thought this over-concern a little unworthy.
1988 M. Bachelor Forty Plus (BNC) 132 It is..important to get the right balance between over concern and lack of care.
over-control n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkənˈtrəʊl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkənˈtroʊl/
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1919 Outing Mar. 316/3 This shows the importance of delicacy in the handling of the controls. Most beginners make the mistake of overcontrol; if they bank they bank too sharply.
1986 S. Forward Men who hate Women (1987) i. v. 110 It is just as likely that he will turn out to be a misogynist as his mother suffocates him with overcontrol and overprotection.
over-cultivation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkʌltᵻˈveɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌkəltəˈveɪʃən/
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1873 Official Rep. Proc. & Deb. 3rd Constit. Convent. Ohio I. 360/1 Many a thing that has a very fair prospect of living, perishes by over-cultivation.
1994 Earthkeeper Apr.–May 36/1 The over-cultivation and erosion of the South African homelands.
over-decoration n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədɛkəˈreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌdɛkəˈreɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1846 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 4 Apr. 223/1 As under-dressing may be considered disrespectful to guests, it is equally to be avoided with over-decoration.
1962 Amer. Q. 14 560 Walter Smith..spent his fire on over-decoration and inept attempts to imitate bad European designs.
over-demand n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈmɑːnd/
,
/ˌəʊvədᵻˈmand/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈmænd/
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/ˌoʊvərdiˈmænd/
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1892 Q. Jrnl. Econ. 6 487 The demand which previously was an ‘adequate demand’..for the product of occupation A, would now have become an over-demand.
1987 R. G. Simmons & D. A. Blyth Moving into Adolescence xiv. 352 In order to maximize the expenditure of energy and avoid overdemand, reduction of tension between challenges should be helpful.
over-devotion n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈvəʊʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈvoʊʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərdiˈvoʊʃən/
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1851 J. H. Thom St. Paul's Epist. to Corinthians (1852) 54 If he has consumed time, and thought, and zeal in over devotion to such non-essentials.
1992 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 119 78/2 A notable American institution of higher learning, charged by some with over-devotion to a classical education.
over-dilution n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədʌɪˈl(j)uːʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvədᵻˈl(j)uːʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈluʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərˌdaɪˈluʃən/
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1874 J. B. Biddle Materia Medica (ed. 6) 374 An excess of water, taken into the stomach, impairs digestion by overdilution of the gastric juice.
1997 Times (Nexis) 22 Aug. British rugby can and must impose its own restrictions to prevent the overdilution of the game developing within the home unions.
over-distension n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈstɛnʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdəˈstɛnʃən/
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1774 L. Carter Diary 6 Oct. (1965) II. 866 Possibly an overrelaxation may somehow have abraded or infused those parts by an overdistension.
1813 J. Thomson Lect. Inflammation 45 The pain..depends partly on the over-distention of the vessels and fibres.
1904 Proc. Royal Soc. 73 52 This..is to be ascribed to its over-distention with the secretion transmitted from the body of the gland.
1985 C. S. Ward Anaesthetic Equipm. (ed. 2) xi. 202/1 There are ‘pressure-regulating’ holes to prevent over-distension of the patients' lungs.
over-drain n.
Brit. /ˈəʊvədreɪn/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈdreɪn/
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U.S. /ˈoʊvərˌdreɪn/
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/ˌoʊvərˈdreɪn/
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1758 Herald No. 24 (1758) 2 144 Weakened by an incautious over-drain of the vital moisture.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 21 Feb. 13/4 The exhaustion of raw materials, an overdrain on fuel supplies in the planet's fragilely thin crust, and the dirtying of the equally thin blanket of atmosphere that covers it.
over-drainage n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdreɪnɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdreɪnɪdʒ/
ΚΠ
1860 H. F. French Farm Drainage xvii. 309 No instance has yet been made public in America, of the injury of peat lands by over-drainage.
1944 Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 71 543 These areas could not be farmed profitably year after year because of over-drainage and lack of sufficient essential minerals in the soil.
over-dramatization n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədramətʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvədrɑːmətʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌdrɑməˌtaɪˈzeɪʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərˌdrɑmədəˈzeɪʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌdræmədəˈzeɪʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌdræməˌtaɪˈzeɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1886 Harper's Mag. Jan. 323/2 In spite of their high coloring and the overdramatization of the patrician quality of Mr. Manhattan.
1976 R. Hill Another Death in Venice i. i. 21 Out there was a young mafioso... No, that was an absurd over-dramatization.
over-enrichment n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻnˈrɪtʃm(ə)nt/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛnˈrɪtʃm(ə)nt/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈrɪtʃmənt/
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/ˌoʊvərɛnˈrɪtʃmənt/
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1860 J. Forster Deb. Grand Remonstr. 76 The supposed enrichment of the country by the over-enrichment of himself.
1992 Canad. Geographic Mar. 70 (caption) A condition caused by overenrichment in lakes which leads to massive increases in algae.
over-exaltation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡzɔːlˈteɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡzɒlˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɛɡˌzɔlˈteɪʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərˌɛɡˌzɑlˈteɪʃən/
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1844 Church of Eng. Q. Rev. Apr. 375 That denial of faith, and that over-exaltation of the power of the ministry and of the means of grace, which must terminate in Popery.
1973 Isis 64 100 Subsequent events in Germany tempered any inclination to overexaltation of the American professoriate.
over-expansion n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈspanʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈspanʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪkˈspænʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərɛkˈspænʃən/
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1862 Harper's Mag. Aug. 368/1 He..attributed it chiefly to the over-expansion and recent collapse of the paper-money system.
1995 Canad. Forum Apr. 41/2 Much has been made of the condos, the gentrification, the overexpansion of offices.
over-expenditure n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈspɛndᵻtʃə/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈspɛndᵻtʃə/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪkˈspɛndətʃər/
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/ˌoʊvərɛkˈspɛndətʃər/
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/ˌoʊvərɪkˈspɛndəˌtʃʊ(ə)r/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛkˈspɛndəˌtʃʊ(ə)r/
ΚΠ
1849 T. C. Haliburton Old Judge 138 I wish you'd help me, then—log-roll mine through, for an over-expenditure I have of five hundred pounds.
1990 Mod. Asian Stud. 24 432 In order to justify to the Governor General his over-expenditure (180,000 Rupees annually, far higher than his predecessor).
over-flexion n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈflɛkʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈflɛkʃən/
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1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-flexion.
1964 J. J. Walsh Understanding Paraplegia V. 28 The great majority of injuries to the spine are due to overflexion.
1983 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) B. 302 684 Broad curved phalangeal articular surfaces with interlocking tongue and groove systems to strengthen the joint and stop over-flexion or over-extension.
over-imitation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪmᵻˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɪməˈteɪʃən/
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1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ix. 112 Tell me whether the Ape did not well deserve a whip, for his over-imitation therein.
1999 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 8 Aug. 14 A show that rises above both over-imitation and hero worship.
over-importation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪmpɔːˈteɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɪmpɔrˈteɪʃən/
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1861 G. J. Goschen Theory Foreign Exchanges 73 Sometimes Governments..issue a quantity of paper money: the natural consequence will be over-importation.
1999 F. Ezeala-Harrison Theory & Policy Internat. Competitiveness v. 108 Over-valuation of the national currency often occurs, fueling over-importation through undue cheapening of foreign goods.
over-insistence n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈsɪst(ə)ns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈsɪstns/
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1890 E. C. Richardson tr. Eusebius Life Constantine in Select Libr. Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers I. 435 He was open to the charge of over-generosity..a good measure of real vanity, some over-insistence on his own will and thought as the final standard of right.
1996 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 11 Nov. e3 The common thread throughout the concert..was an air of overinsistence that clung to every piece.
over-interpretation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪntəːprᵻˈteɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˌtərprəˈteɪʃən/
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1884 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) Nov. 824 A word of caution may possibly not be amiss against the present danger of over-interpretation of statistics.
1980 Dædalus Spring 271 One colleague, fearing overinterpretation, suggests that the incident in the barque merely dramatizes the hopelessness of resistance.
over-involvement n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈvɒlvm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈvɑlvmənt/
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/ˌoʊvərᵻnˈvɔlvmənt/
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1959 T. Langan Meaning of Heidegger i. 48 Each aspect of the Dasein's factual fallen state..results from an overinvolvement in what is going on at the moment.
1992 New Scientist 4 Jan. 32/1 If relatives expressed a high level of criticism or overinvolvement or any degree of hostility towards the patient at the time of a schizophrenic episode.
over-lactation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəlakˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌlækˈteɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1866 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 29 17 There is far less of over lactation in England than in Scotland.
1999 Emerging Markets Datafile (Nexis) 3 Dec. Diseases affecting blood, e.g. anaemia due to overlactation or obstinate vomiting, hypertension etc.
over-laudation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəlɔːˈdeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌlɔˈdeɪʃən/
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/ˌoʊvərˌlɑˈdeɪʃən/
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1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-laudation.
over-legislation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəlɛdʒᵻˈsleɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌlɛdʒəˈsleɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1836–48 B. D. Walsh tr. Aristophanes Comedies 78 (note) Every nation has been addicted, more or less, to over-legislation.
1975 Hist. Jrnl. 18 761 A coalition of elements fearful of overlegislation and of the ‘People's William’.
over-moralization n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəmɒrəlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvəmɒrl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌmɔrələˈzeɪʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌmɔrəˌlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
ΚΠ
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.
1996 B. J. Nelson in R. E. Goodin & H.-D. Klingemann New Handbk. Polit. Sci. (2000) xxiv. 564 Harry Boyte..was concerned with the over-moralization of political conflict.
over-multiplication n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəmʌltᵻplᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌməltəpləˈkeɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1847 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 10 Apr. 228/1 It is manifest that there exists a limit to the over-multiplication of life.
1975 Econ. Hist. Rev. 28 204 Urban growth led to diseconomies of scale (because of too rapid population expansion or of overmultiplication of institutional structures).
over-nutrition n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvənjuːˈtrɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvənjᵿˈtrɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌn(j)uˈtrɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1855 G. H. Lewes in Westm. Rev. July in J. A. Andrew Errors of Prohibition (1867) 39 Mutton-chops taken in excess kill with the certainty of arsenic, for over-nutrition is fatal.
2000 Cats Oct. 22/1 Once a cat's basic nutrient needs are met, overnutrition can be of greater concern than undernutrition or deficiencies.
over-organization n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɔːɡənʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɔːɡn̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɔrɡənəˈzeɪʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌɔrɡəˌnaɪˈzeɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1883 Cent. Mag. June 308/2 In ways like these..the dangers of over-organization, so strikingly exemplified by the school system of New York, may be avoided.
1998 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 104 407 The groups are effective to the extent to which they avoid overorganization by keeping contracts implicit and modes of monitoring informal.
over-ornament n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɔːnəm(ə)nt/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɔrnəmənt/
ΚΠ
?1848 J. R. Lowell in Writings (1890) IX. 45 Over-ornament ruins both poem and prose.
1869 W. G. T. Shedd Homiletics iii. 89 Gaudy over-ornament is as much a fault as downright ugliness.
over-ornamentation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɔːnəmɛnˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɔrnəˌmɛnˈteɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1865 E. H. Plumptre in tr. Sophocles Trag. (1867) Pref. p. xi To present a temptation, very difficult to guard against, to expansion and over-ornamentation for the sake of it.
1992 A. Gray Poor Things (1993) 275 I hate such structures. Their useless over-ornamentation was paid for out of needlessly high profits.
over-provision n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprəˈvɪʒn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərproʊˈvɪʒən/
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/ˌoʊvərprəˈvɪʒən/
ΚΠ
1843 J. Martineau Endeav. Christian Life (1876) 261 For all that he yet feels, an eternal life would be an enormous over-provision.
1989 V. R. Godwin in M. G. Field Success & Crisis in National Health Syst. ix. 283 A clinician's inclination to err on the side of overprovision.
over-rapture n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈraptʃə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈræp(t)ʃər/
ΚΠ
a1706 J. Evelyn Life Mrs. Godolphin (1847) 143 O with what joy and over rapture [1939 ed. reads even Rapture] did I hear her pronounce it.
1842 E. S. Wortley Maiden of Moscow 317 And even as 'twere o'erborne—oppressed, By the over-rapture of her rest!
1972 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 43 655 If results of this over-rapture didn't possess certain potentially disastrous overtones, one could sit back and enjoy the show.
over-recovery n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈkʌv(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈkəv(ə)ri/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈkəv(ə)ri/
ΚΠ
1956–7 Rev. Econ. Stud. 24 58 Nor was there any change in output sufficient to account for this through over-recovery of overheads.
1994 Accountancy Sept. 100/2 These allow rebates of accumulated over-recoveries in previous years against the fees of certain recognised bodies.
over-reflection n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈflɛkʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈflɛkʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈflɛkʃən/
ΚΠ
1864 Atlantic Monthly Nov. 647/1 Such vivid shapes, and emotions so consistent and sustained, even though they were so often flawed by over-reflection.
1897 W. P. Ker Epic & Romance 235 That touch of over-reflexion and self-consciousness.
over-regulation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərɛɡjᵿˈleɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌrɛɡjəˈleɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1858 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 26 Feb. 230/1 A colony spoiled by over-praise, over-regulation, and over-legislation.
1992 J. Leslie Markets & Dealers (BNC) 99 Within the United States the exchanges sometimes complain of over regulation by Federal agencies and excessive tax burdens.
over-reliance n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈlʌɪəns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈlaɪəns/
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/ˌoʊvəriˈlaɪəns/
ΚΠ
1833 J. S. Mill in Monthly Repos. 7 663 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 Lang. iii. 50 An apparent over-reliance on the spelling as a means of identification of dental fricatives.
over-repletion n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈpliːʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈpliʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈpliʃən/
ΚΠ
a1681 T. Raymond Autobiogr. (1917) 49 In a short time by over-repletion I brought my selfe into a new distemper.
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems xxix. 6 Shall he in o'er-assumption, o'er-repletion, he Sedately saunter every dainty court along?
1970 Man 5 249 It is not surprising that substances which are usually applied to give a sensation of repletion should also be utilised in cases of over-repletion.
over-representation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərɛprᵻz(ɛ)nˈteɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌrɛprəˌzɛnˈteɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1856 in S. D. Bradford Wks. (1858) 422 If the fraud consists in an over-representation of his power to act, by which others are drawn into dealing with him, then it is a self-evident proposition, that [etc.].
1992 M. Medved Hollywood vs. Amer. iv. xi. 178 The idiotic overrepresentation of a few crude Anglo-Saxonisms in today's movie dialogue.
over-secretion n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsᵻˈkriːʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈkriʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvərsiˈkriʃən/
ΚΠ
1919 J. B. Watson Psychol. v. 186 There is an enlarged gland..with a great oversecretion of the thyroid autacoid.
1997 R. Porter Greatest Benefit to Mankind xviii. 566 Over-secretion was part of a syndrome whose characteristic features were adiposity of the face and abdomen, hypertension, poor bones, [etc.].
over-self-esteem n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsɛlfᵻˈstiːm/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌsɛlfəˈstim/
ΚΠ
1838 E. B. Pusey in H. P. Liddon et al. Life E. B. Pusey (1893) II. xx. 49 There is one prominent fault, which people least like to be charged with, though so many have it—over-self-esteem, or to speak very plainly,—vanity.
2001 USA Today (Electronic ed.) 8–9 May Manic symptoms include over-self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, loquaciousness, racing thoughts, [etc.].
over-service n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsəːvɪs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsərvəs/
ΚΠ
a1882 D. G. Rossetti in Wks. (1911) 474 With many burdens He loads his servants, But at the sharing, The underservice And overservice Are alike barren.
1981 Jrnl. Human Resources 16 25 The potential capital loss of reputation implicit in the exposure of physicians guilty of overservice.
over-sophistication n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsəfɪstᵻˈkeɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˌfɪstəˈkeɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1895 N. Amer. Rev. Nov. 530 The American joke, on the other hand, is the product of over-sophistication.
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.
1993 Operations Res. 41 1028/1 This only requires a simple approach; oversophistication would violate the KISS principle espoused earlier.
over-speculation n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəspɛkjᵿˈleɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌspɛkjəˈleɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1845 Punch 4 Oct. 149/2 In spite of..gloomy predictions regarding over-speculation, the infatuated gentleman wrote two-and-twenty fresh applications for shares.
1995 Our Times July 46/2 These days, the 1920s' addiction of over-speculation and buying stocks on margin has been replaced by computer-triggered stock selling.
over-tension n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtɛnʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtɛnʃən/
ΚΠ
1852 Harper's Mag. Dec. 54/2 His hallucination proceeded from an over-tension of the cerebral fibre.
1928 New Phytologist 27 280 If the over-tension produced within the bladder is only slight, the valve may be forcible opened with a needle.
over-worry n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwʌri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwəri/
ΚΠ
1879 Appletons' Jrnl. July 54/1 Thanks to overwork, and still more to over-worry, it is not so now.
1995 J. Campbell Understanding John Dewey vi. 226 In a world of overwork and overworry..can we expect people to be concerned about engaging in social action?
(iii) With nouns of quality or state, formed from adjectives combined with a suitable suffix (as -ness, -ity, -ty, -nce, -ncy, -acy, -tude, -ism, -ry, -ure, -th, etc.), and with other nouns of this type. More established words (as overabundance n., over-anxiety n., etc.) are treated as main entries.
over-ability n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈbɪlᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈbɪlᵻdi/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-ability.
1942 S. Pepper World Hypotheses 118 in Jrnl. Philos. (1945) 42 93 An overability to produce interpretations of a fact any one of which would be as consistent with the categories as any other.
1963 H. Gold Salt ii. 109 He always wanted to make flyboy, but the brass, you know? rejected him for psychological overability, I think it was.
over-accuracy n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈakjᵿrəsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈækjərəsi/
ΚΠ
1852 C. R. Kennedy in tr. Demosthenes Olynthiac & Other Public Orations Pref. p. viii Over-accuracy [in translation] always leads to verbiage.
1940 Internat. Affairs 19 134 The excellent translation sometimes errs on the side of over-accuracy.
over-acuteness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈkjuːtnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈkjutnəs/
ΚΠ
1843 E. A. Poe Tell-tale Heart in Pioneer Jan. 30/2 Have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses?
1998 Spectator (Hamilton, Ont.) (Nexis) 9 Feb. e1 Treatment can control the disease, reducing delusions, hallucinations..and symptoms resulting from overacuteness of the senses.
over-bravery n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbreɪv(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbreɪv(ə)ri/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-bravery.
1936 E. D. Laborde Byrhtnoth & Maldon 150 Ofer-mōd, over-bravery, over-confidence.
over-brilliancy n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈbrɪlj(ə)nsi/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈbrɪlɪənsi/
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U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈbrɪljənsi/
ΚΠ
1866 C. Lever Sir Brook Fossbrooke i. ii. 14 A passion-tree..relieving with its softened tints the almost over-brilliancy of the southern plant.
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-brilliancy.
over-capacity n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəˈpasᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəˈpæsədi/
ΚΠ
1877 Atlantic Monthly Nov. 530/2 This over-capacity of production is not merely the result of a sudden failure in the demand for iron.
?1989 Achievement (Brit. Nuclear Fuels Special) 17/1 The existing plant was traditionally designed with an overcapacity to allow for breakdowns and maintenance.
over-cheapness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃiːpnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃipnᵻs/
ΚΠ
a1731 G. Waldron Descr. Isle of Man 141 in Compl. Wks. (1731) The Over-cheapness [of law suits] renders them frequent.
1911 Countess E. Martinengo-Cesaresco Outdoor Life Greek & Rom. Poets x. 187 Martial complains of over-cheapness; the husbandman was left to feed on his own produce, and as there was more than he could eat, much lay running to waste.
over-complacency n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəmˈpleɪsnsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəmˈpleɪsənsi/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-complacency.
1916 B. Tarkington Penrod & Sam xix. 272 If there were a fault in these cats, overcomplacency might be the name for it; they are a shade too sure of themselves.
over-complexity n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkəmˈplɛksᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərkəmˈplɛksədi/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-complexity.
1921 Mod. Lang. Notes 36 182 Are we breaking this delicate butterfly unnecessarily upon the wheel, by over-complexity of conjecture?
2002 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 12 May 7 The government finally..accepts overcomplexity in pensions compliance has become a serious problem.
over-concentration n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəkɒns(ɛ)nˈtreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌkɑnsənˈtreɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1877 Examiner 8 Dec. 1548/2 Over-concentration may be damaging to the balance of his mind.
1990 Forbes 22 Jan. 68/3 Robertson admits to some small worries about overconcentration in the retailers.
over-consciousness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɒnʃəsnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɑnʃəsnəs/
ΚΠ
1820 C. Lamb in London Mag. Nov. 484/1 Breaking down the stony fences of shame, and awkwardness, and a troubling over-consciousness.
1977 Hist. Jrnl. 20 920 This over-consciousness of their ability to master whatever turned up was much resented elsewhere in Whitehall.
over-coyness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkɔɪnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkɔɪnᵻs/
ΚΠ
1745 W. Ayre Mem. A. Pope II. 170 Daphne,..she can no longer bear with this Over~coyness of Sylvia to a Lover.
1840 G. Darley Thomas à Becket iii. iii. 61 Nor stir and thwart at once His hot desires by over-coyness.
over-diffuseness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈfjuːsnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdᵻˈfjusnəs/
ΚΠ
1866 Atlantic Monthly Oct. 482/1 The stern and tragical character of the subject has been enfeebled by the over-diffuseness of the narrative.
1967 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 298 279 This trend indicates a slight over-diffuseness of the Fourier peaks.
over-diligence n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɪlᵻdʒ(ə)ns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɪlədʒəns/
ΚΠ
1613 J. Stephens Cinthia's Revenge iii. ii. sig. I Ouer-diligence May summon actiue zeale to a defence, Which doth appeare in my ill-tun'd event.
1996 Advertiser (Adelaide) (Nexis) 19 June I suspect ‘haitch’ may have originated with an overdiligence about not dropping ones ‘h's’.
† over-elegancy n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xv. 316 The affected over-elegancy of such as prayed for her by the title of defendresse of the faith.
over-exactness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻɡˈzak(t)nəs/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛɡˈzak(t)nəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪɡˈzæk(t)nəs/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛɡˈzæk(t)nəs/
ΚΠ
a1866 J. Grote Treat. Moral Ideals (1876) 169 In danger of erring on the side of..over-exactness.
1950 R. L. Munroe in L. E. Abt & L. Bellak Projective Psychol. ii. 124 The accuracy of the form and the intent of the subject are hard to determine to the point of judging overexactness.
over-expressiveness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻkˈsprɛsᵻvnᵻs/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɛkˈsprɛsᵻvnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərɪkˈsprɛsɪvnᵻs/
,
/ˌoʊvərɛkˈsprɛsɪvnᵻs/
ΚΠ
1892 Harper's Mag. Dec. 79/2 The old woman..smiled maliciously, with the over-expressiveness of toothless lips.
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.
over-facility n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəfəˈsɪlᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərfəˈsɪlᵻdi/
ΚΠ
1874 J. D. Heath Compl. Croquet-player 44 The over-facility with which they [sc. long breaks] could be made arose chiefly from the large size of the hoops, the easiness of the settings, [etc.].
1949 Jrnl. Politics 11 415 There are rather numerous instances of an overfacility of interpretation.
over-fertility n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəfəˈtɪlᵻti/
,
/ˌəʊvəfəːˈtɪlᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərfərˈtɪlᵻdi/
ΚΠ
1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Burning of Land To abate the Over~fertility caused by the Fire there.
1878 Harper's Mag. Mar. 520/1 The Ohio rivers are dark with the overfertility of the soil through which they flow.
1997 Population 9 212 (caption) Ratio of under- or over-fertility by level of socio-demographic variables.
† over freedom n. Obsolete rare
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrespect > [noun] > disrespect by undue familiarity
familiarityc1410
particularity1591
freedoma1625
over freedom1668
over-familiarity1676
1668 J. Dryden Secret-love ii. v. 20 That frown assures me I have offended, by my over freedom.
over-frequency n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfriːkw(ə)nsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfrikwənsi/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-frequency.
1934 Times 5 Apr. 12/4 If the public becomes exasperated by the over-frequency of such appeal they will be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
1970 R. H. Miller Power Syst. Operation viii. 90 Overfrequency is less hazardous to a power system than low frequency.
over-gratitude n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈɡratᵻtjuːd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈɡratᵻtʃuːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɡrædəˌt(j)ud/
ΚΠ
1855 H. Melville Israel Potter vii. 71 Over gratitude in the helped person, is apt to breed vanity or arrogance in the helping one.
1893 Athenæum 7 Oct. 490/2 That sweet courtesy That ever marked his over-gratitude For each slight service rendered to his need.
† over-headiness n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie cxi. 683 Ye pride or ouerheaddinesse of ye deceiuers.
† over-holiness n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1604 S. Hieron Preachers Plea in Wks. (1620) I. 505 Religion, which..the world is pleased to call ouer-holinesse.
† over imitativeness n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1640 T. Fuller Joseph's Coat 109 Out of an over Imitativenesse of Holy Presidents.
over-individualism n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪndᵻˈvɪdʒʊəlɪz(ə)m/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɪndᵻˈvɪdʒᵿlɪz(ə)m/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɪndᵻˈvɪdʒl̩ɪz(ə)m/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɪndᵻˈvɪdjʊəlɪz(ə)m/
,
/ˌəʊvə(r)ɪndᵻˈvɪdjᵿlɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌɪndəˈvɪdʒ(ə)wəˌlɪzəm/
,
/ˌoʊvərˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəˌlɪzəm/
ΚΠ
1861 M. Arnold Pop. Educ. France Introd. p. xxxiii I..esteem it a great and timely lesson to the over-individualism of the English character.
1930 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 41 61 Phänomenologie is a protest against over-individualism as much as against psychologism.
over-intensity n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ɪnˈtɛnsᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərᵻnˈtɛnsədi/
ΚΠ
1858 W. Bagehot Coll. Wks. (1965) II. 101 We endure the over-intensity..of the surrounding misery.
1977 S. Sontag Illness as Metaphor viii. 63 TB was understood, like insanity, to be a kind of one-sidedness: a failure of will or an overintensity.
over-keenness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkiːnnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈki(n)nᵻs/
ΚΠ
1677 R. Baxter Let. in Answer to Mr. Dodwell 118 The Lord forgive the Presbyterians their over-keenness against Sects.
1998 Odds On June 10/1 On this first outing this term he ruined his chance with over-keenness.
over-knavery n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈneɪv(ə)ri/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈneɪvəri/
ΚΠ
1861 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth III. iv. 92 What of thy foul suspicions, master? over-knavery blinds the eye as well as over-simplicity.
over-loyalty n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlɔɪəlti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlɔɪ(ə)lti/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈlɔjəlti/
ΚΠ
1860 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) VI. xxx. 47 Her chief embarrassment..was from the over~loyalty of her subjects.
over-luxuriance n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəlʌɡˈʒʊərɪəns/
,
/ˌəʊvələɡˈʒʊərɪəns/
,
/ˌəʊvəlʌɡˈzjʊərɪəns/
,
/ˌəʊvələɡˈzjʊərɪəns/
,
/ˌəʊvəlʌkˈsjʊərɪəns/
,
/ˌəʊvələkˈsjʊərɪəns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvər(ˌ)ləɡˈʒʊriəns/
,
/ˌoʊvər(ˌ)ləkˈʃʊriəns/
ΚΠ
1758 L. Carter Diary 20 May (1965) I. 228 Topping to check the overluxuriance of the plant.
1805 G. Glasse in S. J. Pratt Harvest-home III. 25 All these sorrows have been heaped upon me, in order, no doubt, to prune the over-luxuriance of prosperity.
1982 Time 18 Jan. 74/1 We were true to its faults as well as its virtues, but the faults—the overluxuriance, for instance—are also rather appealing.
over-magnitude n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmaɡnᵻtjuːd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈmaɡnᵻtʃuːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmæɡnəˌt(j)ud/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-magnitude.
over-moisture n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈmɔɪstʃə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈmɔɪstʃər/
ΚΠ
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §693 The over~moisture of the brain doth thicken the spirits visual.
1766 Compl. Farmer at Rabbit It is over moisture that always causes this disease; the greens therefore are always to be given dry, and a sufficient quantity of hay, or other dry food, intermixed with them.
2002 baap.lt 25 Oct. (O.E.D. Archive) Some soils suffer from over moisture temporarily while others are constantly over moist.
over-negligence n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnɛɡlᵻdʒ(ə)ns/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnɛɡlədʒ(ə)ns/
ΚΠ
a1863 R. Whately Misc. Remains (1864) 179 In their over-negligence, leaving all to be done by Divine grace, while neglecting means.
over-optimism n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɒptᵻmɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɑptəˌmɪzəm/
ΚΠ
1898 Atlantic Monthly June 762/1 It may seem an over-optimism to declare that this is but an accident and circumstance of the time.
1990 Harvard Business Rev. Mar. 157/1 Managers are susceptible to human shortcomings like overoptimism and narrow thinking.
over-plenitude n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplɛnᵻtjuːd/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈplɛnᵻtʃuːd/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈplɛnəˌt(j)ud/
ΚΠ
a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) 215 A Natural Consequence of the over-plenitude and redundancy of the Number of Men in the World.
1916 E. Barker in Oxf. Bk. Eng. Mystical Verse 602 Beauty at whose awesomeness I weep With over-plenitude of ecstasy.
over-preciseness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprᵻˈsʌɪsnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərprəˈsaɪsnᵻs/
,
/ˌoʊvərpriˈsaɪsnᵻs/
ΚΠ
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 329 The ouer-precisenes therin may breed a great inconuenience to the Common-wealth.
1956 Q. Jrnl. Econ. 70 599 The overpreciseness of terms..gives encouragement to the statistical model builders.
over promptness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə ˈprɒmp(t)nəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvər ˈprɑmp(t)nəs/
ΚΠ
a1656 J. Hales Golden Remains (1659) 78 An over promptness in many young-men..upon every sleight occasion, to raise a quarrel.
1854 in J. N. Bagg Acct. Centennial Celebration W. Springfield, Mass. (1874) 136 His defects consisted in an over promptness. He seemed so anxious to reach the work that he sometimes went beyond it.
over-proneness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈprəʊnnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈproʊ(n)nəs/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-proneness.
1959 C. Singer Hist. Biol. to 1900 (ed. 3) viii. 297 His over-proneness to speculation often made him a laughing stock.
over-quietness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkwʌɪətnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkwaɪətnəs/
ΚΠ
a1682 Sir T. Browne Christian Morals (1716) i. 38 To strenuous Minds there is an inquietude in overquietness.
1869 Atlantic Monthly Feb. 186/2 We might speak of excesses in various other ways, such as overwork or its exact contrast over-quietness.
1998 Irish Times (Nexis) 12 Dec. 58 A slight sense of over-quietness or monotony that might worry poems so closely linked by theme and tone.
over-readiness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɛdɪnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈrɛdinᵻs/
ΚΠ
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison II. iv. 55 Even in the delight she had brought me to take in doing good, I shewed an over readiness, even to rashness.
1880 R. F. Littledale Plain Reasons lxii. 135 Over-readiness to swallow marvels..is credulity.
1964 D. Crystal & R. Quirk Syst. Prosodic & Paraling. Features Eng. ii. 22 We would not wish to suggest that Over-readiness to ascribe meanings to vocal qualifiers is a peculiar characteristic of recent American work.
over-realism n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrɪəlɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈriəˌlɪz(ə)m/
ΚΠ
1882 Macmillan's Mag. 46 335/1 There have no doubt been incidents of over-realism.
1958 N. Sanford in R. M. Cooper Two Ends Log (1959) 12 The future is seen by the peer culture with optimism and, perhaps, overrealism.
over-regularity n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərɛɡjᵿˈlarᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌrɛɡjəˈlɛrədi/
ΚΠ
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. v. i. 262 An Over-regularity is next to a Deformity.
2001 Re: Unknown Texas Tree in rec.gardens (Usenet newsgroup) 9 July Potential hazards are that too much can promote ‘over-regularity’ (like most tree fruits) and it can stain your lips black.
† over-remissness n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1658 F. Osborne Trad. Mem. Reign Elizabeth To Rdr. sig. A7v, in Hist. Mem. Reigns Elizabeth & Iames An over-remissness or excess in Sanctity or Profaneness.
over-righteousness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈrʌɪtʃəsnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈraɪtʃəsnəs/
ΚΠ
1727 J. Richardson Great Folly Pilgrimages Ireland 81 The Omissions of other Men [may be] made up by their Over-Righteousness.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. x. 239 She did not know how much selfishness..was at the bottom of her over-righteousness.
1986 16th Cent. Jrnl. 17 288 Philanax's over-righteousness, and Euarchus's mistaken sense of justice are all manifestations of this general lack of self-understanding.
over-scepticism n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskɛptᵻsɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskɛptəˌsɪzəm/
ΚΠ
1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind ix. 235 It may be over-scepticism.
1991 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 81 191 T. P. Wiseman has recently provided an antidote to over-scepticism regarding Rome's pre-literary phase.
over-security n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsᵻˈkjʊərᵻti/
,
/ˌəʊvəsᵻˈkjɔːrᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈkjʊrədi/
ΚΠ
1740 S. Richardson Pamela I. 222 His Over-security and Openness, have ruin'd us both!
1970 Jrnl. Mod. Afr. Stud. 8 461 A system of greater incentives—but one falling short of over-security..—should be devised for corporation staffs.
over-sentimentalism n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsɛntᵻˈmɛntl̩ɪz(ə)m/
,
/ˌəʊvəsɛntᵻˈmɛntəlɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌsɛn(t)əˈmɛn(t)lˌɪzəm/
ΚΠ
1862 W. M. Rossetti in Fraser's Mag. July 73 A work of exquisite childish expression and beautiful painting, brought down to a somewhat lower level by a touch of over-sentimentalism.
1907 Polit. Sci. Q. 22 554 De Laveleye, whom he accuses of oversentimentalism.
over-seriousness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɪərɪəsnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɪriəsnəs/
ΚΠ
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists i. iii. 29 Your Over-seriousness..may have driven me perhaps into a contrary Extreme, by opposition to your melancholy Humour.
1987 Amer. Q. 39 522 For all its possible overseriousness, it was, in intention at least, for the period unusually tough-minded and self-critical.
over-severity n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsᵻˈvɛrᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈvɛrədi/
ΚΠ
1824 J. Hogg Private Mem. Justified Sinner 151 I gathered some courage from his over severity, and answered him as follows.
1964 Econ. Hist. Rev. 17 257 The effect..is to apply too severe a deflator to prices in local currencies, the degree of over-severity being greatest immediately following the debasement.
over-simplicity n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsɪmˈplɪsᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌsɪmˈplɪsᵻdi/
ΚΠ
1861 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth III. iv. 92 What of thy foul suspicions, master? over-knavery blinds the eye as well as over-simplicity.
1982 Econometrica 50 1365 Another possible explanation is the oversimplicity of the model.
over-smoothness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsmuːðnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsmuðnəs/
ΚΠ
1694 J. Collier Misc. To Rdr. sig. A4 The oversmoothness of an Argument, is apt to abate the Force.
1966 Proc. Royal Soc. 1965–6 A. 289 541 The danger of energy dependent analyses is over-smoothness.
over-squeamishness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈskwiːmᵻʃnᵻs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈskwimɪʃnᵻs/
ΚΠ
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. ii. 99 An oversqueamishness and nicety of taste, which renders the imagination too delicate.
1947 Trollopian 2 23 It is oversqueamishness, he contends, to have regard for wretches.
over-strength n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈstrɛnθ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/
ΚΠ
1847 Westm. & Foreign Q. Rev. 47 335 If it were poison, we may perhaps presume that Overbury was saved by the over-strength of the dose.
1964 Jrnl. Negro Educ. 33 117/2 Efforts were made to alleviate the problem through authorizing over-strength for Negro units returning to the United States.
over-sufficiency n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsəˈfɪʃnsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˈfɪʃənsi/
ΚΠ
1690 T. Burnet Theory of Earth iii. 47 Disproportion and over-sufficiency is one sort of false measures.
1996 A. Theroux Secondary Colors 193 The ample oversufficiency of purple metal flake five-speed Schwinn bicycles ripping up and down the sidewalks of America.
over-surety n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃʊərᵻti/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈʃɔːrᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃʊrədi/
ΚΠ
1596 Prayer by Queen in W. K. Clay Liturg. Services Q. Eliz. (1847) 666 That no neglect of foes, nor over-surety of harm.
1912 W. H. Hodgson Night Land viii Here in this place will I set down how that the Peoples of the Pyramid were greater to the chest, methinks, than we of this age; but yet do I have no oversurety in the matter.
over-susceptibility n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəsəsɛptᵻˈbɪlᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərsəˌsɛptəˈbɪlədi/
ΚΠ
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice I. i. iii. 28 Why add to that grief by any selfish indulgence of over-susceptibility in yourself.
1955 Science 5 Aug. 229/1 An oversusceptibility of neurones might be an additional factor in the true psychoses.
over-truthfulness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtruːθf(ᵿ)lnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtruθfəlnəs/
ΚΠ
1901 A. E. Taylor Probl. of Conduct iv. 220 In practice it is safest to err on the side of over-truthfulness in one's own concerns.
over-variety n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəvəˈrʌɪᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərvəˈraɪədi/
ΚΠ
a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 260 They will serve ye up, in an over-variety, the dainty birds called the fig-eaters.
1999 Re: How China beat India in soc.culture.china (Usenet newsgroup) 23 Sept. The over-variety of languages and religions in India represents a lack of a unity for the country.
over-venturesomeness n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈvɛn(t)ʃəs(ə)mnəs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈvɛn(t)ʃərsəmnəs/
ΚΠ
1892 New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut) Feb. 158 She [sc. the Church] must..be slow to encourage over-venturesomeness in practical application.
over-wealth n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈwɛlθ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈwɛlθ/
ΚΠ
1839 E. S. Wortley Sonnets 22 The sun seems flashing stars and lightnings down, At play with the over-wealth of his own light!
1912 J. Royce Sources Relig. Insight (1940) vii. 261 Both our eyes and our ears almost constantly rain in upon us..an overwealth of impressions.
(iv) Nouns denoting action, condition, state, quality, or anything subject to degree (often in sense, if not in form, agreeing with those in 2b(c)(ii) or 2b(c)(iii)): see also overcare n., overcaution n., etc.
over-ambition n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)amˈbɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˌæmˈbɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1638 C. Aleyn Hist. Henrie Seventh 81 Rather than over-merit, Stanlie had Over-ambition, (That peculiar sinne, And solemne vice of greatnesse).
1973 Times 18 Oct. 15/3 His career was blighted by over-ambition.
over-culture n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkʌltʃə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkəltʃər/
ΚΠ
1830 W. Wordsworth in C. Wordsworth 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.
1899 Philos. Rev. 8 548 Over-culture or intelligence weakens or destroys character.
† over-custom n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §300 Another Cause of Satiety, is an Over-Custome.
over-democracy n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvədᵻˈmɒkrəsi/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərdᵻˈmɑkrəsi/
ΚΠ
1904 N.E.D. at Over- Over-democracy.
1996 Euromoney (Nexis) Sept. 80 Hong Kong at the moment has overdemocracy and too much social welfare.
over-dogmatism n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɒɡmətɪz(ə)m/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɔɡməˌtɪzəm/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈdɑɡməˌtɪzəm/
ΚΠ
1862 Times 3 Dec. 9/3 He seems prepared to..see that over-dogmatism necessarily fosters scepticism.
1938 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 3 650 As defensive over-dogmatism gives way, rebellious over-demands lessen also.
over-effort n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛfət/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛfərt/
ΚΠ
1850 Examiner 6 Apr. 213/1 Though some of the completest poetical images are contained in it,..it is not free from the appearance of over-effort.
1998 Re: Tendonitis in alt.sport.racquetball (Usenet newsgroup) 28 June Perhaps those who aspire to hit with the ultimate racquetball apparatus..but do not have sufficient capability..injure themselves through over-effort!
over-elaboration n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ᵻlabəˈreɪʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˌlæbəˈreɪʃən/
ΚΠ
1846 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 382 Is not the effect of most of his efforts seriously injured by indefinite expansion of description, and over elaboration of the idea?
1974 tr. W. F. Wertheim Evol. & Revol. i. 72 Phonetic spelling could not be realized in Egypt precisely because of the over-elaboration of the cumbersome hieroglyphic system.
over-emphasis n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɛmfəsɪs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɛmfəsəs/
ΚΠ
1858 Nat. Rev. Oct. 481 The traits are too delicate not to be injured by heightening or marred by over-emphasis.
2002 Guardian 27 Apr. i. 16/1 An over-emphasis on emotional response.
over-faith n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfeɪθ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfeɪθ/
ΚΠ
1844 R. W. Emerson Ess. 2nd Ser. vi. 203 The overfaith of each man in the importance of what he has to do or say.
1975 Ecology 56 1470/2 Over-faith in science and technology, human rights, monocultures, [etc.].
over-force n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɔːs/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfɔrs/
ΚΠ
1700 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Meleager & Atalanta in Fables 109 His [sc. Jason's] Javelin seem'd to take, But fail'd with over-force, and whiz'd above his [sc. the boar's] Back.
2001 Assembly (Nexis) 1 Nov. 66 The weld is accomplished with no overforce regardless of speed or electrode stroke.
over-majority n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəməˈdʒɒrᵻti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərməˈdʒɑrədi/
,
/ˌoʊvərməˈdʒɔrədi/
ΚΠ
1898 Daily News 29 Sept. 4/5 It is proposed to use the over-majority of abstainers in the English-speaking provinces to force the measure on great territories..where the people are, by custom and tradition, adverse to total abstinence.
† over-opinion n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1628 J. Earle Micro-cosmogr. xlviii. sig. I1 His ouer-opinion of both spoyls all.
over-plenty n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈplɛnti/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈplɛn(t)i/
ΚΠ
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xiv. 73 (MED) Ouer-plente maketh pruyde amonges pore & riche.
1582 G. Whetstone Heptameron Ciuill Disc. i. sig. B.iiij Their appetites were dulled, with the ouerplentie of meates, and their desires quickened, with the regarde of the faire Gentlewomen.
1997 Idaho Falls Post Reg. (Nexis) 26 Dec. b7 Today is a day to recover from the overplenty of packages, food and relatives.
over-precision n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəprᵻˈsɪʒn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərpriˈsɪʒən/
,
/ˌoʊvərprəˈsɪʒən/
ΚΠ
1838 U.S. Mag. & Democratic Rev. Jan. 164 Applying technical meaning to national compact, with both over-precision and over-latitude—turning politics into law, and all laws into private contracts.
1952 C. P. Blacker Eugenics: Galton & After 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.
over-religion n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvərᵻˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈlɪdʒən/
,
/ˌoʊvəriˈlɪdʒən/
ΚΠ
1795 A. Hughes Jemima I. 87 The..opinion, that over religion, as we called it, shut the door of the heart.
2001 Re: Islamic Cleric held on Murder Charge in soc.culture.indian (Usenet newsgroup) 5 Feb. That is the danger of over-religion coming home to roost through any lowering of guard on elements desperate to make business out of people's religious sentiments.
† over-saliva n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems xxiii. 16 Thee sweat frets not, an o'er-saliva frets not.
over-sorrow n.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɒrəʊ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɔroʊ/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈsɑroʊ/
ΚΠ
1885 Border Lances 23 Beware lest in thine oversorrow thou lose the true profit thereof.
† over-weal n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2901 Mani man, for ouer-wele, þam-self can noþer faand ne feil.
(v) Agent nouns corresponding to verbs in sense 2b(a), as overclocker n., overeater n., overpronator n.
(d) With adverbs, whether simple (as overhard adv., overmuch adv., etc.) or derived from adjectives (as overabundantly adv., etc.).A few examples occur in Old English, as ofermōdlīce, overswithe adv.
(i)
over-fast adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈfɑːst/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈfast/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈfæst/
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > [adverb] > excessively
over-fast?a1425
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 73v (MED) If it holde ouerfast, be it remoued wiþ a picecarolez.
1586 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. I. 727 When he sawe the Hebrewes encrease ouer-fast amongst his subiects.
1939 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 69 11 Poreporena is changing..; but it has not been changing over-fast.
over-nigh adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈnʌɪ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈnaɪ/
ΚΠ
c1503 Beuys of Southhamptowne (Pynson) 3304 For he..cam a lytel ouer-nye.
1886 W. Carleton Want in City Ballads 67 Did my own form appear to you? It might have been; grief was o'er-nigh, And—God, have pity!—this is I.
over-often adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈɒf(t)n/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈɔf(t)ən/
,
/ˌoʊvərˈɑf(t)ən/
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > frequency > [adverb] > too often
over-oftenc1450
c1450 Contin. Lydgate's Secrees (Sloane 2464) 1642 To ech tale yive hasty credence, Offtyn goon to Chaumbir ovir offtyn to blede.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie iv. vii. 182 Tertullian ouer-often through discontentment carpeth iniuriously at them.
1976 R. Barnard Little Local Murder iii. 38 His sports jackets did not go over-often to the dry cleaner's.
(ii)
over-attentively adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)əˈtɛntᵻvli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərəˈtɛn(t)ᵻvli/
ΚΠ
1799 S. T. Coleridge Let. 19 May (1956) I. 510 His family do not behave over-attentively towards him!
1990 Times (Nexis) 16 Aug. A spastic, epileptic, incontinent 24-year-old, slumped on his airbed, wheelchair or bean-bag and over-attentively tended by his parents.
over-casually adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈkaʒʊəli/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈkaʒᵿli/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈkaʒl̩i/
,
/ˌəʊvəˈkazjᵿli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈkæʒ(əw)əli/
ΚΠ
a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 86 (MED) Lorde..He stondiþ ouercasuely & like to falle, þat castiþ not all his bisenes in to þe.
1956 Amer. Sociol. Rev. 21 645/2 The author does appear to have accepted his own culture-bondage over-casually.
over-cheaply adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃiːpli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃipli/
ΚΠ
1744 T. Birch Life R. Boyle (1772) I. p. xlvii I, not over-cheaply, purchased divers private conferences with one of their skilfullest doctors.
1999 Re: Seems Penny & your Senate Agree in alt.callahans (Usenet newsgroup) 25 Oct. Selling off the profitable ones [sc. privatized industries] over-cheaply makes no sense to me on economic grounds.
over-cheerily adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃɪərᵻli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃɪrᵻli/
ΚΠ
1877–8 H. Taylor Philip Van Artevelde Pt. II (new ed.) ii. iii, in Wks. I. 75 Thou look'st not over cheerily; Think'st thou the Knights have made some way then, ha?
1947 D. Thomas Let. 20 May in Sel. Lett. (1966) 307 Did you receive the postcard, overcheerily scribbled with messages?
† over-cursedly adv. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 53 Hauing regard not to vse them either ouer-curstly, or ouer-fondly.
over-deeply adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdiːpli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdipli/
ΚΠ
1815 W. Wordsworth White Doe of Rylstone vii. 121 If she too passionately writhed Her arms, or over-deeply breathed.
1915 C. J. Hogarth tr. N. Gogol Dead Souls i. xi Had not the author pried over-deeply into Chichikov's soul.
over-diligently adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdɪlᵻdʒ(ə)ntli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdɪlədʒəntli/
ΚΠ
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iii. vii. 228 This part of Grammar has been..as much neglected, as some others over-diligently cultivated.
1977 Econ. Jrnl. 87 849 Searching over-diligently for ancient echoes when more proximate eighteenth-century influences and sources are to hand.
over-generally adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈdʒɛn(ə)rəli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɛn(ə)rəli/
ΚΠ
1612 J. Brinsley Ludus Lit. xxii. 254 I feare indeede..that this is ouer-generally neglected.
1966 Econ. Jrnl. 76 247 Then it considers, perhaps over-generally, the capacity of underdeveloped countries to absorb loans and to service debt.
† over-honestly adv. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. sig. c4 He..left them there not over-honestly together.
over-hugely adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈhjuːdʒli/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈ(h)judʒli/
ΚΠ
1807 S. T. Coleridge Let. to R. Southey in Lett. (1895) 523 I did not overhugely admire the ‘Lay of the Last Minstrel’.
† over-merrily adv. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
c1530 Court of Love 406 See that thou sing not ouermerely.
† over-stoutly adv. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1549 W. Thomas Hist. Italie f. 213 This Pietro Aluigi..entred into the astate, beganne to beare hym selfe ouerstoutely against the nobilitee of the same, and specially towards the Signor Ieronimo Pallauicini di Corte Maggiore.
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (lii. 2) Doeg..behaved himself overstoutly.
† over-wantonly adv. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. viii. xl. 219 Toying and dallying overwantonly with the king her husband.
1637 T. Heywood Emblematicall Dial. 216 Shee ought not also to suffer her selfe to bee tugged or over wantonly toucht, but rather to shunne the place.
3. Combinations consisting of over prep. (in any of its senses) with object. These naturally form adverbs and adjectives; exceptionally they give rise to nouns and verbs. As adverbs they are often written as two words, as over all or overall, over board or overboard.
a. Forming adverbs: see also overall adv., overboard adv., overcross adv., overhand adv., overnight adv., overseas adv., etc.
overchannel adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈtʃanl/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈtʃæn(ə)l/
ΚΠ
1855 Harper's Mag. Aug. 416/2 Their pride lies in their magnificent gardens..and not, like that of their neighbors over-Channel, in their docks.
1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. i. 13 Critic ears not present at the conversation catch an echo of maxims and aphorisms overchannel.
† over-fields adv. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1585 C. Fetherston tr. J. Calvin Comm. Actes Apostles xiii. 50 They do coldly and as it were ouerfields play with God.
† over-leg adv. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1858 N. Hawthorne French & Ital. Jrnls. II. 132 Men and horses, wading not overleg.
over-page adv.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈpeɪdʒ/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈpeɪdʒ/
ΚΠ
1870 D. G. Rossetti Let. 29 July (1965) II. 893 I send another correction overpage.
1979 Television July–Aug. 17/3 (caption) Thorn's mock-up of the Rome entertainment furniture of the future, the elements of which are described overpage.
† over-shipboard adv. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah 156 That they had..inducements inough to throw him overship-boarde.
b. Forming adjectives: see also over-age adj., overarm adj., overdeck adj., overwinter adj., etc.
over-centre adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈsɛntə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈsɛn(t)ər/
ΚΠ
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.
2000 Dive Nov. 59/3 It takes a matter of seconds to set up and the over-centre catches fasten the housing down on to a large, easily maintained O-ring.
over-life-size adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈlʌɪfsʌɪz/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈlaɪfˌsaɪz/
ΚΠ
1936 Times 29 Aug. 6/2 An over-life size statue of Gladstone.
1987 A. Aronson Shakespeare & Rembrandt 11 Neither Shakespeare nor Rembrandt create overlifesize figures as we find in Dante and Michel Angelo.
over-ocean adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvə(r)ˈəʊʃn/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈoʊʃən/
ΚΠ
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.
1986 New Yorker 4 Aug. 38 She needs all the over-ocean training she can get.
over-shoulder adj.
Brit. /ˌəʊvəˈʃəʊldə/
,
U.S. /ˌoʊvərˈʃoʊldər/
ΚΠ
?1655 R. Baron Mirza ii. 26 More then a quarter face,—thus—or perhaps An over shoulder look from this great Mahomet?
1991 J. Barth Last Voy. Somebody the Sailor 105 Her over-shoulder look this time was mischievous.
c. Forming nouns, as overall n., overdoor n., overmantel n., etc.
d. Forming verbs, as overbank v.1, overhand v.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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