spill over | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

1351 entries found.

also over-hasty," "too hasty," 1570s, from phrase over hasty (Middle English); see over- + hasty.

"to run away," 1861, American Civil War military slang, of unknown origin, perhaps connected to earlier use in northern England dialect with a meaning "to spill." Liberman says it "has no connection with any word of Greek, Irish, or Swedish, and it is not a blend" [contra De Vere]. He calls it instead an "enlargement of dial. scaddle 'scare, frighten.'" Related: Skedaddled; skedaddling. As a noun from 1870.

overpopulation (n.)

also over-population, "excess of population," 1807, from over- + population. Malthus (1798) had over-populousness.

overking (n.)

also over-king, "a king who rules over other kings or princes," late 12c., from over- + king (n.).

overshoe (n.)

also over-shoe, "a shoe worn over another," especially "an outer waterproof shoe," 1829, from over- + shoe (n.). Related: Overshoes.

overlap (v.)

"to lap or fold over, to partially extend over, extend so as to rest or lie upon," 1726; see over- + lap (v.2). Verbal phrase lap over "extend beyond" is recorded from 1630s. Related: Overlapped; overlapping.

overexcite (v.)

also over-excite, "excite unduly or excessively," 1708 (implied in over-excited), from over- + excite. Related: Overexciting.

overindulgence (n.)

also over-indulgence, "excessive indulgence," 1630s, from over- + indulgence. First attested in Donne (over-indulgency). Related: Overindulgent.

takeover (n.)

1917, "an act of taking over," from verbal phrase take over (1884), from take (v.) + over (adv.). Attested from 1958 in the corporate sense.

overconfident (adj.)

also over-confident, "confident to excess," 1610s, from over- + confident. Related: Overconfidently.

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