overlive

verb — 4 senses

overlive

verb

US /oʊvəɹˈlɪv/ · UK /əʊvəˈlɪv/

Etymology From Middle English overliven, from Old English oferlibban (“to survive”), equivalent to over- + live. Cognate with Dutch overleven (“to survive”), German überleben (“to survive, outlive”), Swedish överleva (“to survive, outlive, outlast”).

1

To survive; to live past.

2

To outlive; live longer than.

  • [M]y disease cannot survive me, I may overlive it.1624, John Donne, Meditation VII:
  • "Her Majesty's life will never be safe for a moment while she lives; and what would become of us all did she overlive the Queen!"1891, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 31, in Unknown to History: A Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland:
3

To live too long.

  • Why do I overlive? Why am I mocked with death, and lengthened out to deathless pain?1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
  • The misguided youngsters are yachting, attending the races, playing the "stage Johnny," automobiling, playing poker for high stakes, overliving at home, on expensive shopping tours, attending box parties to the theatre, visiting high-priced restaurants, etc., etc.1909, “"How Can He Do It?"”, in Notions and Fancy Goods, volume 43, page 30:
4

To live too fast, too luxuriously, or too actively.

Derived terms
overliver

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.