Overboost

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A brief rise above normal boost pressure from a turbocharger to enhance engine power temporarily
2. A momentary surge in turbocharger pressure that temporarily improves engine performance
3. A short-lived increase in forced air pressure from a turbo system that boosts engine output for a limited time

Etymology: "Overboost" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-", meaning excessive or beyond a normal level, attached to "boost", a word for a push or lift upward. Put together, the term describes pressure pushed past its usual limit, which is exactly what it names in a turbocharged engine. The noun and verb senses follow the same pattern. "Boost" in the engine sense refers to the pressure a turbocharger forces into the intake, measured above atmospheric pressure, so an overboost is a brief spike beyond the designed maximum. Because that spike is momentary, the word carries the sense of a surge that is gone as quickly as it arrives.

Synonyms: overcharge, oversupply, overamplify, exceed boost

Antonyms: underboost, reduce boost, limit power