Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
overblow en · VERB · etymology 1
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *úp
Proto-Indo-European *-er
Proto-Indo-European *upér
Proto-Germanic *uber
Old English ofer-
Middle English over-
English over-
Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₁-der.
Proto-Germanic *blēaną
Proto-West Germanic *blāan
Old English blāwan
Middle English blowen
English blow
English overblow
From over- + blow (“to flower, bloom”).
Meanings
-
(transitive) To cover with blossoms or flowers.
Forms
overblow en · VERB · etymology 2
Etymology
From Middle English overblowen, equivalent to over- + blow.
Meanings
-
(transitive) To blow over or across.
-
(transitive) To blow away; dissipate by or as by wind.
-
(transitive) To exaggerate the significance of something.
if you do print the DUI story and sensationalize and overblow it
2006, Jock Lauterer, Community Journalism: Relentlessly Local:
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(transitive) To blow a wind instrument (typically a whistle, recorder or flute) hard to produce a higher pitch than usual.
The upper octaves of the flute's compass are produced by overblowing.
1909, Leander Jan Bekker, Stokes' Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians:
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(intransitive) Of a wind instrument, to move from its lower to its higher register.
The oboe overblows at the octave; the clarinet at the twelfth.
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(archaic, intransitive) Of the wind: to blow very hard, often resulting in ships unable to carry full sail.
“The wind blows frisking,” the mate cried, scrambling up the ladder and joining the master.
“Yea, it is like to over-blow. She took a shrewd plunge but now. We shall further our voyage by striking every sail. Go thou, mate, and have them secure the spritsail-yard, then take thy station on the forecastle.”
1923, Charles Boardman Hawes, The Dark Frigate, Chapter 8:Finding it was like to overblow, we took in our Sprit-ſail, and ſtood by to hand the Fore-ſail; but making foul Weather, we look'd the Guns were all faſt, and handed the Miſſen.
1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Great Storm Described, the Long-Boat Sent to Fetch Water, the Author Goes with It to Discover the Country. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part II (A Voyage to Brobdingnag), page 151:
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(intransitive, obsolete) To blow over; pass over; pass away.
But art thou not drown'd, Stephano? I hope now thou are / not drown'd. Is the storm overblown?
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
Forms
Deriveds
overblower
Translations (1)
ru ути́хнуть (to blow over, pass away)