Overpackage

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To wrap or enclose a product in more packaging than is needed to protect or display it
2. To surround goods with layers of excess wrapping, boxes or containers beyond what is necessary
3. To encase an item in superfluous packing material that adds bulk without adding real protection

Etymology: "Overpackage" is a plain formation: the prefix "over-" attached to "package," so it means to package something excessively, wrapping or boxing it in more material than it needs. The verb is built directly on the noun "package," which in turn came into English from the Italian "pacco" (bundle) and the French "paquet" (parcel), tracing back to the same Germanic stock that gave English "pack." The prefix does the work here. "Over-" has long been productive in English for forming verbs meaning "too much" or "beyond the proper amount," as in "overcook" or "overpay," and "overpackage" follows that pattern exactly. Nothing about the word's history is hidden: its meaning is simply the sum of its two parts.

Synonyms: overpack, overwrap