Overdrink

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To partake in an extreme volume of liquids beyond safe limits, which may result in health complications or discomfort
2. To drink liquids in quantities that exceed moderation or safety limits
3. To ingest more fluids than the body can reasonably handle, potentially causing harm

Etymology: "Overdrink" is one of those verbs that English has carried since its earliest recorded days without much fuss: it is simply "over-" attached to "drink," and the pairing is old. Its ancestor, Old English "oferdrincan," meant exactly what it means now, to drink to excess, and the Old English language also had "oferdrync," a noun for excessive drinking or drunkenness. The noun appears in Middle English as "overdrink," while the verb itself is attested in Old English. The prefix does the work. "Over-" has long meant "too much" or "beyond the proper measure" in English, so "overeat," "overwork," and "overdo" all follow the same pattern. "Drink" comes from Old English "drincan," which has cognates across the Germanic languages. German "übertrinken" and Swedish "överdrycka" show the same construction, with the same sense of drinking past what is proper, suggesting the formation is an ancient Germanic habit rather than a later English invention.

Synonyms: drink excessively

Antonyms: drink moderately