overspecialize
/ˌoʊvɚˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
30
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
5
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To specialize to an excessive degree.
Example Sentences
- "The tendency to overspecialize is also noticeable in the county. Some farmers are growing fruit to the exclusion of all other crops; some carry the practice a step further and grow only peaches."
- "The greatest of benefits to be derived from a purposeful college education are an active and lasting intellectual curiosity—a pervading spirit of inquiry—and the ability to think. To attain these goals the student should direct his education in a broad field of study rather than overspecialize in a single subject."
- "Still, Winn is a savvy observer of intellectual politics, ably dissecting the economic and administrative incentives that encourage academics to overspecialize."
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- Middle English especial English special Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English specialize English overspecialize From over- + specialize.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌoʊvɚˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/
- British English: /ˌəʊvəˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/