Overdose

Overdose

Noun / Verb · /ˈəʊ.və.dəʊs/ (noun), /ˌəʊ.vəˈdəʊs/ (verb)

Definition

(Noun) an excessive and dangerous dose of a drug or medicine — one that causes poisoning, serious harm, or death; (Verb) to take an excessive dose of a drug or medicine; (informal) to have or experience too much of something — I've overdosed on reality television.

Origin

From over- (in excess) + dose (from French dose, from Medieval Latin dosis, from Greek dosis, a giving, a dose — from didonai, to give). A dose being the prescribed amount given at one time; an overdose being the giving of more than this — an excess that causes harm. The medical sense being primary and serious — overdose (OD) being one of the leading causes of accidental death in the UK and globally. The informal sense — overdosed on box sets, on news, on social media — extending the concept of harmful excess to any form of over-consumption.