overstand

verb

1. To stand or insist too much or too long; overstay.

   rare, transitive

   But they that overstand the day of grace, shall not obtain to cool their tongues so much of this water as will hang on the tip of one's finger.

2. To stand too strictly on the demands or conditions of.

   transitive

3. To sail (to the mark) at a wider angle than is the normal upwind angle; to go beyond (the layline).

   transitive

4. To be neglected and left uncut for too long.

   intransitive

   When a coppice woodland is no longer cut on its regular rotation the rods from the stool continue to grow and the coppice becomes known as overstood. Sadly, in many parts of the country this is the commonest form of coppice you are likely to see.

Where it comes from

From Middle English overstonden, from Old English oferstandan (“to stand over”), equivalent to over- + stand. Cognate with Dutch overstaan (“to stand over”), German überstehen (“to stand through, survive”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry overstand (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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