overstand1
/ˌəʊvəˈstand/verb
1 [with object] To stand over (formerly especially so as to guard or intimidate); to stand higher than or above.
2 [no object] Oxford Univ. to be overstanding for honours: to be ineligible for honours in an examination because more than the permitted number of terms (normally twelve) has elapsed since one's matriculation.
- The phrase ‘disqualified by standing’ is now preferred in the Oxford University Examination Decrees & Regulations..
3 [with object] Sailing. To sail past (a line or mark indicating the course of a race) by staying on a tack for too long.
Origin
Old English; earliest use found in Bede's Ecclesiastical History. From over- + stand. Compare to stand over.
overstand2
/ˌəʊvəˈstand/verb
1 [with object] And without object. To understand. Now used (especially in Caribbean and African-American usage) to avoid the negative connotations of under, perceived as incompatible with the positive meaning of the verb.
2 [with object] And without object. Contrasted with understand in other ways, as: to understand more than is necessary or desirable; to analyse excessively; to understand fully.
Origin
Late 17th century; earliest use found in Edward Ward (1667–1731), satirist. From over- + -stand; in later use independently re-formed.