Overmeasure

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To measure or provide more than the necessary or standard quantity
2. The act of exceeding a preset measurement or limit in amount
3. The process of gauging an amount that goes beyond what is required or expected

Etymology: "Overmeasure" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-", meaning beyond or in excess, joined to "measure," which comes from Old French "mesure" and ultimately from Latin "mensura," a measuring or a measured quantity. Put together, the word means a measure beyond what was set or intended, which is exactly how it is used today, both as a noun for the excess itself and as a verb for doing the exceeding. The "over-" prefix is one of English's most productive, and it attaches freely to verbs and nouns, so "overmeasure" belongs to a large family such as "overfill," "overweight," and "overcharge." The word is simply a transparent combination of two familiar parts, with little in the way of surprising sound change or shifted sense to unpack.