Overdrew

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /oʊ.vɚ.dɹu/

Definitions

1. To have exceeded the available balance by withdrawing more money than was present in an account
2. To have taken out funds beyond what was available, resulting in a deficit in a financial account
3. Withdrew funds surpassing the current balance, causing a negative amount in the account

Etymology: "Overdrew" is simply the past tense of "overdraw," so its story is the story of the verb. The "over-" is the Old English "ofer," which meant "above" or "beyond" and descends from ancient roots meaning "up" and "over." The "draw" part comes from Old English "dragan," which meant to drag, pull, or haul, the same sense that still lingers in phrases like drawing a cart. Put together, "overdraw" literally means to pull or draw beyond a limit. That physical sense of pulling beyond a limit is the thread that leads to banking. An account is effectively something you draw from, so drawing more than it holds means going past what is there. The word's meaning therefore moved from hauling something too far to taking out more money than the account contains, a concrete image of pulling that became a financial idea.

Synonyms: overextended, overdrafted