overlarge
Meaning
Excessively large; bigger than is usual or necessary.
Structure
Usage
The overlarge portions at the restaurant often led to significant food waste.
He felt awkward in the overlarge coat, which hung loosely from his shoulders.
The architect criticized the overlarge windows for compromising the building's structural integrity.
Etymology
The word 'overlarge' is a transparent English compound formed by combining the native Germanic prefix 'over-' with the adjective 'large', a loanword of Latin origin via French. The prefix 'over-', with its core sense of excess, has been productively attached to adjectives and verbs since Old English to indicate a surpassing or extreme degree. 'Large' entered Middle English with a sense of liberality and breadth, which narrowed to its primary modern meaning of physical size. Thus, the literal construction "excessively big" directly and logically conveys its modern abstract meaning of being disproportionately or unnecessarily large.
Analysis
- over: From Old English ofer, meaning "above, beyond, excessively." It functions as an intensifying prefix indicating excess. - large: From Old French large, meaning "broad, wide, generous," ultimately from Latin largus ("abundant, copious"). It functions as the root adjective meaning big.