overblow
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.20 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To blow a wind instrument (typically a whistle, recorder or flute) hard to produce a higher pitch than usual.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "if you do print the DUI story and sensationalize and overblow it"
- "The upper octaves of the flute's compass are produced by overblowing."
- "The oboe overblows at the octave; the clarinet at the twelfth."
- "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."
- "“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.”"
- "But art thou not drown'd, Stephano? I hope now thou are / not drown'd. Is the storm overblown?"
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”).