23 September 2014

surfeit

[sur-fit]

noun

1. excess; an excessive amount:
a surfeit of speechmaking.
2. excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking.
3. an uncomfortably full or crapulous feeling due to excessive eating or drinking.
4. general disgust caused by excess or satiety.
verb (used with object)
5. to bring to a state of surfeit by excess of food or drink.
6. to supply with anything to excess or satiety; satiate.
verb (used without object)
7. to eat or drink to excess.
8. to suffer from the effects of overindulgence in eating or drinking.
9. to indulge to excess in anything.

Origin

Middle English, Middle French
1250-1300; (noun) Middle English sorfete, surfait < Middle French surfait, surfet (noun use of past participle of surfaire to overdo), equivalent to sur- sur-1+ fait < Latin factus, past participle of facere to do (see fact ); (v.) sorfeten, derivative of the noun

Related forms

unsurfeited, adjective
unsurfeiting, adjective

Synonyms

1. superabundance, superfluity. 5, 6. stuff, gorge. 6. fill.
Antonyms

1. lack.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for surfeit

– Unfortunately, the basic appeal of such debates is often diluted by an excess of detail and a surfeit of characters.
– Instead, the technology-driven surfeit of modern information has made the need for clarity and concision more acute.
– It does them no harm, although if they eat too many they may have some difficulty digesting a surfeit of cicada skins.

Anagram

sure fit
surf tie

Today’s aphorism

Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.

– Bruce Springsteen

On this day

23 September 63BC – birth of Augustus Caesar, founder of the Roman Empire and first Roman Emperor.

23 September 1122 – The Concordat of Worms, sometimes known as Pactum Calixtinum, which was an agreement between Pope Calixtinum and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, near the City of Worms, to end the first phase of the power struggle between the Papacy and the Emperors by granting Kings the right to grant Bishops in their territories with secular authority, but not sacred authority. Bishops then swore allegiance to the King and the Pope. The Kings could also call on them for military support.

23 September 1215 – birth of Kublai Khan, of the Mongol Empire. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan. In 1271, Kublia Khan established the Yuan Empire ruling over modern-day Mongolia, China and Korea. He became the first non-Chinese Emperor to conquer all of China. He died on 18 February 1294.

23 September 1913 – French aviator Roland Garros, becomes the first person to fly across the Mediterranean Sea.

23 September 1949 – birth of Bruce Springsteen (a.k.a. The Boss), American rocker.