Etymologically
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overtime

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/, US /ˈoʊ.vɚ.taɪm/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from over- and time.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Time worked beyond the regular hours: 1536 in the OED, 1846 in Etymonline,[4][2] and 1791 in Merriam-Webster.[3]

Semantic evolution

The adverb, during extra time, is from 1873.[4] Pay for overtime is recorded by 1916,[2] and the sporting sense, extra time after a draw, is first attested in 1921 in ice hockey, chiefly in North America.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1536 – extra working time.[4]
  • 1873 – overtime (adverb).[4]
  • 1916 – overtime pay.[2]
  • 1921 – extra time in sport.[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Work done beyond regular working hours.
  2. The pay for such work.
  3. (sport, US, Canada) Extra time played after a draw.
  4. Time beyond a set limit.

Adverb

  1. Beyond the regular or agreed time: to work overtime.

Verb

  1. To exceed the required time for a photographic exposure.
  • over-
  • time
  • overwork

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press