Overclocked

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To enhance a computer's processing unit by raising its clock speed beyond the intended limits set by the manufacturer
2. The procedure of modifying a computing device's performance by setting its operational frequency above the default specification
3. To increase the operating frequency of a device's processor beyond its designed limits for improved performance

Etymology: Overclocked is a past form of "overclock," which is built from the prefix over- and the verb clock. The "clock" part is the old sense of counting or timing a process, and in computing it refers to the regular electronic pulse that sets the pace at which a processor carries out its operations. Pushing that pulse faster than the manufacturer specifies lets the chip do more work per second, at the cost of extra heat and the risk of instability. The over- prefix does the same job it does in words like overheat or overload: it means beyond the normal or intended limit. So to overclock a machine is literally to clock it beyond its set rate. The pattern is simple and transparent, which is why the term reads as a self-explanatory compound rather than a word with a dramatic backstory.

Synonyms: boosted, accelerated, enhanced, speeded up, turbocharged

Antonyms: underclocked, slowed down, decelerated, reduced, diminished