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overlabour en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈleɪbə(ɹ)/

Etymology

From over- + labour (noun).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Excessive labour.
   • a disease which he had brought upon himself, by his over-labour at a Siege 1684, John Dryden, The History of the League, translation of Histoire de la Ligue by Louis Maimbourg:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
overlabor		alternative	lexicographic

overlabour en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈleɪbə(ɹ)/

Etymology

From Middle English over-labouren, equivalent to over- + labour (verb).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To cause to labour excessively; to overwork.
   • But over labour'd with ſo long a Courſe, Tis time to ſet at eaſe the ſmoaking Horſe. 1697, Virgil, “The Second Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 95:
   • overlabor the employees
2. (transitive) To labour upon excessively; to refine unduly.
   • overlabor ornaments
3. To belabour or emphasise excessively.
   • I don't want to overlabour what is obvious here.
   • overlabor the point

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
overlabours	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres		lexicographic
overlabor		alternative	lexicographic
overlabouring	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
overlaboured	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part		lexicographic
overlaboured	Tense=Past		lexicographic