Overweighing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have more weight than something else; to exert a greater influence or importance in a situation; to impose an excessive burden or strain on someone or something
2. To surpass in weight or mass compared to another object; to dominate in significance or authority within a context; to place an undue load or pressure on an individual or entity
3. Exceeding in physical density or heaviness relative to another; holding greater sway or relevance in a discussion; creating an overwhelming demand or challenge for a person or system

Etymology: "Overweighing" is the present participle and gerund of "overweigh", a verb built in Middle English from "over-" and "weigh". Its earliest recorded appearance is in the Ancrene Wisse, a guide written for anchoresses, where the phrase "luue ouerweið hit" uses the older spelling to say that love outweighs (or overbears) other considerations. The sense is already there in that early text: one thing being heavier than another in a way that tips the balance. The base word, "weigh", comes from Old English "wegan", meaning to carry or bear a load, and only later came to mean measuring heaviness on a scale. The prefix "over-" simply adds the idea of exceeding. So the verb began as a physical image of one load pressing down harder than another and gradually took on figurative senses of importance, authority and burden that the modern meanings draw on.

Synonyms: outweighing, exceeding, surpassing, dominating, overbalancing

Antonyms: underweighing, underbalancing, lessening, undervaluing, minimizing