Overpurchasing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Acquiring goods or services in quantities exceeding actual requirements
2. Purchasing an amount greater than necessary or intended
3. Obtaining supplies or items beyond what is reasonably needed

Etymology: "Overpurchasing" is simply "overpurchase" with the ending "-ing" added to turn it into a noun for the act. The base word is built from the prefix "over-", meaning "too much" or "beyond what is proper", attached to "purchase", which came into English from Anglo-Norman "purchacer", meaning to pursue or acquire, and ultimately from the Old French "pourchacier", meaning to seek to obtain. The "over-" element has a long pedigree in English, where it has been used to form words meaning "excessively" since Old English, so "overpurchase" follows a very old pattern. Its meaning is straightforward: buying more than is needed. The "-ing" ending simply names that activity, which is why the word works as a noun for an ongoing practice rather than a single purchase.

Synonyms: overbuying, excessive buying

Antonyms: underbuying, sparing