Overridden

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹɪd.ən/

Definitions

1. To have an established order or rule replaced by a later decision from a higher authority
2. To experience the annulment or alteration of a prior command by a more recent directive
3. Having a former command or decision set aside by a more powerful authority

Etymology: "Overridden" is the past participle of "override," and its ancestry runs through a plain, physical image: riding a horse over something. In Old English, "oferrīdan" meant "to ride over," in the literal sense of crossing or trampling. Over time, "over-" (meaning "above" or "across") and "ride" combined to describe a rider passing over ground, and then, by extension, one thing passing over or trampling another. The jump from horseback to authority happened gradually. Riding over something came to mean riding roughly over obstacles and then overpowering or crushing them, and from there the word could describe one power or decision riding over another. That is the sense that survives today: a higher decision simply rides over an earlier one and takes its place. The participle "overridden" carries the same idea, describing a rule or order that has already been trampled into replacement.

Synonyms: superseded, overruled