Overpigment

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Applies an excessive amount of colouring matter to a surface, making the result too dense or intense
2. Puts far more dye, paint or colour onto something than is needed, so the finished effect looks heavy
3. Colours a photograph, print or material with too much pigment, producing a result that is overly saturated

Etymology: "Overpigment" is a compound of "over-" and "pigment," and its history is straightforward. "Pigment" comes into English from Latin "pigmentum," meaning paint or colouring matter, a derivative of "pingere," to paint or decorate. English speakers used "overpigment" in the sense of applying too much colour, and it appears in the vocabulary of painting and dyeing, where it describes a layer of pigment laid on more heavily than is wanted. Because the word is a transparent formation from two English elements, its meaning follows directly from its parts. The prefix "over-" in English regularly means excess or beyond the proper amount, as in "overcook" or "overpaint," so the word's sense needs little explanation beyond that combination.