Overdosing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Consuming a quantity of a drug or substance that is too large, potentially causing harmful or fatal effects
2. Ingesting more of a medication or drug than is recommended or safe, which may lead to serious health risks
3. Using an excessive dose of a substance, which can result in poisoning or overdose symptoms

Etymology: "Overdosing" is the present participle and gerund of "overdose", a verb built from the prefix over- ("too much, beyond") and "dose", a measured portion of medicine. The combination is transparent: a dose is the quantity administered, and to overdose is to exceed that quantity. The same pattern produces many other English verbs, such as overeat or overpay. Because "overdose" is a plain compound of two existing English elements, its history is essentially the history of its parts. "Dose" came into English through Old French and Medieval Latin from the Greek "dosis", meaning "a giving", which is itself from the verb "didonai", "to give". The original sense of the root was therefore simply the act of giving, and it narrowed over time to the measured amount of a remedy.

Synonyms: intoxication, drug overdose, overconsumption, excess, surfeit

Antonyms: abstinence, moderation, restraint, conservatism, underconsumption