Overshoot
/ˌoʊvərˈʃuːt/noun
To go past a target, limit, or intended point.
Did you know?The core of this word is the same ancient Germanic root behind modern English "shoot," so the idea is not just “going too far” but a projectile flying past its intended target.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skeud-
“to shoot, throw, propel”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skeutaną
“to shoot, hurl, propel”
Old English
OE
scēotan
“to shoot, dart, launch”
Middle English
ME
overshoten
“to shoot beyond a mark or target”
Modern English
English
overshoot
“to go beyond a limit or target”