overshadow

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
20
Words With Friends
20
Letters
10
Pronunciation
/ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/
See all 2 pronunciations
/ˌəʊ.vəˈʃæd.əʊ/ · /ˌoʊ.vɚˈʃæd.oʊ/(US)

Definition of overshadow

3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To obscure something by casting a shadow.
    “While he thus ſpake, there came a cloud, and ouerſhadowed them, ⁊ they feared, as they entred into the cloude.”
See all 3 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To obscure something by casting a shadow.
    “While he thus ſpake, there came a cloud, and ouerſhadowed them, ⁊ they feared, as they entred into the cloude.”
  2. (transitive)To dominate something and make it seem insignificant.
    “A branch of rail transport that seems to been rather neglected by historians is that concerned with cliff railways, of which a fair number exist in Great Britain. This is probably because these lines are overshadowed by the more spectacular funicular railways in Switzerland and other mountainous regions; perhaps, too, because of the general habit of referring to them as "cliff lifts," which tends to associate them with the vertical indoor type.”
    “This is itself a cheerless spot, particularly on a rainy day, when, overshadowed by the great massif of rock that towers in the background, and surrounded by the grey and cheerless quarries, it has a depressing character much in contrast with the green verdure encountered on the northern end of this interesting branch line.”
    “President Obama gave an important press conference today and even took questions from the press, but all of this was overshadowed by the fact that Obama debuted one of the ugliest suits in the history of this great nation.”
    “It’s surely consequential that Jon has a claim to the throne, whether he knows about it or not, but all of that is overshadowed by his immediate circumstances, which are that Jon Snow is leading a raiding party beyond the Wall to kidnap a wight.”
  3. (transitive)To shelter or protect.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English overschadwen, overschadewe, from Old English ofersċeadwian (“to overshadow”), equivalent to over- + shadow. Compare with West Frisian oerskaduwe (“to overshadow”), Dutch overschaduwen (“to overshadow”), German überschatten (“to overshadow”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufarskadwjan, “to overshadow”), and more distantly, Old Norse yfirskyggja (“to overshadow”), Danish overskygge (“to overshadow”), Swedish överskugga (“to overshadow”), Old English ofersċūwan (“to overshadow”).

Words you can make from overshadow

200+ playable · top: HAREWOODS (16 pts)

Best play harewoods 16 points

8-letter words

3 words

7-letter words

12 words

6-letter words

60 words

5-letter words

124 words

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

A single letter you can add to overshadow to make another valid word.

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