overtop

English

Etymology

From over- +‎ top.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈtɒp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒp

Verb

overtop (third-person singular simple present overtops, present participle overtopping, simple past and past participle overtopped)

1. (transitive) To be higher than; to rise over the top of. [from 16th c.]
   • 1640, William Lithgow, “The Sixt Part”, in The Totall Diſcourſe, Of the rare Adventures, and painefull Peregrinations of long nineteene yeares Travailes from Scotland, to the moſt famous Kingdomes in Europe, Aſia, and Affrica […], London: I. Okes, page 249:

     From thence we came without the Eaſtern gate, (ſtanding on a low Banke, called the daughter of Syon, that over-toppeth the valley of Iehoſaphat,) unto an immoveable ſtone, upon the which they ſaid St. Stephen was ſtoned to death, the firſt Martyr of the Chriſtian faith; and the faithfull fore-runner of many noble followers.

   • 1955, William Golding, The Inheritors, Faber and Faber, published 2005, page 79:

     There was a single birch tree that overtopped the other trees on the island, and was now picked out against the moon-drenched sky.

   • 1963 July, “Beyond the Channel: Switzerland: U.S. buys Swiss rack equipment”, in Modern Railways, page 60:

     The U.S.A. has a mountain railway which overtops all in Switzerland for altitude, even the 11,333ft of the Jungfrau Railway.

   • 2009 February 20, Robert F. Service, “MATERIALS SCIENCE: Is Silicon's Reign Nearing Its End?”, in Science‎, volume 323, number 5917, →DOI, pages 1000–1002:

     […] try to switch one off and current still leaks through, like water overtopping a levee.

2. (transitive) To place too many toppings on.

   to overtop a pizza

Translations

to rise over the top of something

Bulgarian: превишавам (bg) (previšavam), издигам се над (izdigam se nad) Maori: kōhure

Adverb

overtop (not comparable)

1. (now chiefly Canada, US) Over the top. [from 18th c.]
   • 2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 154:

     Paul put the skull back in its proper place, put back the coffin lid, and kicked dirt and rocks overtop.

Noun

overtop (plural overtops)

1. (clothing) A garment designed to be worn over the top portion of other clothes, such as an overshirt, vest, or overtunic.
   • 1964 August 27, The Upland News, seventieth year, number 24, Upland, Calif., page 3:

     Featured is the big plaid, streaked with white in a softly gathered skirt & an overtop of velveteen with a dacron polytester^[sic] oliver bow blouse in white.

   • 1969, Gillian Lockwood, Making Clothes for Young Children, London: Studio Vista; New York, N.Y.: Watson-Guptill Publications, →ISBN, pages 6–7:

     A very obvious point, but one easily overlooked, is that children from 0–5 grow all the time, so a garment often only fits perfectly for a short time. So if, for instance, a long sleeved dress worn during the summer is visualized as being worn under an overtop in winter, you will have to allow for 6 months’ growth.

   • 1981, Frances Patiky Stein, Hot Tips: 1,000 Fashion & Beauty Tricks, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, →ISBN, page 131:

     Brown soft kid belt (dressier day): for trousers (especially when you belt an overtop), skirts, dresses.

   • 1985, Nancy Roberts, Breaking All the Rules, Harmondsworth: Viking, →ISBN, page 154:

     And I bought that top in every colour they had, and if they’d had more I would have bought them too. I have, literally, lived in them all this summer and know that I will all next summer too. I may even wear the darker coloured ones in the winter with a turtle-neck sweater underneath. Janis and Ozzie are wearing them on p. 150. As you can see, you can either wear this as a dress or as an overtop.

   • 1987, Pauline Turner, The WI Creative Guide to Crochet, London: Unwin Hyman, →ISBN, page 56:

     The use of the second contrast yarn (which is thick and braid like) gives the appearance of a ribbon threaded through. Not only is this a satisfying pattern to work but the sweater can be worn for day or evening; with skirt or trousers: as a sweater or an overtop—a sufficiently versatile garment for anyone.

   • 1989, Sharon Lee Tate, Inside Fashion Design, 3rd edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, →ISBN, page 371:

     Skirts can also be fitted with a hip yoke to replace darts or gores. This is effective styling for a skirt worn with an overtop.

References

• “overtop”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• overpot