Dictionary

overmaster en · VERB

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- Old French maistrebor. Latin magisterder. Old English mǣġester Middle English maister English master English overmaster From over- + master.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To overpower or overwhelm.
   • Sir Jasper started from his chair, ashamed of the sick fancies that had, for the moment, overmastered him. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “An Evening Alone”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 303:
   • Did I forget! Shall I ever . . . can I ever! Can any of us ever forget that terrible scene! Mina struggled hard to keep her brave countenance, but the pain overmastered her and she put her hands before her face, and shuddered whilst she moaned. 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLC:

Forms