Overranking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of assigning a higher importance or value to something in comparison to others
2. a hierarchical position that exceeds what is typically warranted
3. an evaluation or judgment that places undue emphasis on certain aspects over others

Etymology: "Overranking" is simply the present participle and gerund of the verb "overrank," which is formed from the prefix over- and the verb "rank." Over- here means "too much" or "beyond the proper degree," so to overrank something is to place it higher in a ranking than it deserves. The base verb "rank" comes from the idea of arranging things in a line or row, which later extended to ordering people or items by status or quality. The compound follows a common English pattern, in which over- attaches to a verb to mean excessive action, as in "overestimate" or "overpay." The word's meaning rests on the sense of rank as a position in a hierarchy, so the excess lies in the position assigned rather than in any physical act.