Overdispense

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Giving out more of something than is necessary, appropriate or safe, such as supplying too large a quantity of medicine
2. Distributing an excessive amount of a substance or resource beyond what should be provided to a person or group
3. Supplying or handing out a greater quantity than intended, often with harmful or wasteful results

Etymology: "Overdispense" is a plain English compound: the prefix "over-", meaning excessively or beyond the proper amount, attached to "dispense," which comes from Latin "dispensare," a frequent form of "dispendere," meaning to weigh out or distribute. The root image is of measuring out portions, which is why "dispense" came to mean handing out supplies, first in the sense of managing or administering something and later in the sense of giving out medicine or goods. The pattern is productive. English has long combined "over-" with verbs to mean doing something too much, as with "overeat," "overpay," and "overprescribe," and "overdispense" follows that model. It is most often used in pharmacy and healthcare, where supplying more medication than a prescription or regulation allows can cause harm, and in discussions of resource use, where giving out more than is needed wastes what was available.

Synonyms: oversupply, overissue

Antonyms: underdispense, withhold