Overdesigning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Creating a design that includes more detail or complexity than necessary
2. Applying too much elaboration or unnecessary features when planning or forming something
3. Developing a plan or structure that is more intricate or complicated than required

Etymology: "Overdesigning" is the present participle and gerund of "overdesign," a verb formed simply by attaching the prefix "over-" to "design." The prefix carries the sense of excess or going beyond what is needed, so to overdesign something is to produce a design that is more elaborate or detailed than its purpose requires. The base word "design" comes from Latin "designare," meaning to mark out or indicate, built from "de-" and "signare" (to mark, from "signum," a sign). Over centuries the English word moved from the idea of marking out a plan to the idea of a drawn or intended plan of an object. The prefix "over-" is an ancient and productive English element, which is why it attaches so readily to verbs like this one.