überzogen

Überzogen is a German participial adjective formed from the verb überziehen. It has several meanings, depending on the context, and is used in everyday language with different prepositions and constructions.

Coating or covering sense: used to describe a surface that is covered by a layer of something. The construction mit + dative is common. Examples: Der Tisch war mit Staub überzogen. Die Wände sind mit Gold überzogen. In this sense überzogen conveys a physical state of being cloaked or coated.

Overdraft sense: in financial contexts, überzogen denotes an overdraft or a negative account balance. Common phrases include Das Konto ist überzogen. The expression can appear in various tenses, for example Der Kontostand war überzogen or Das Konto ist überzogen gewesen, depending on the temporal frame.

Figurative or exaggerated sense: überzogen can also describe something that is excessive or over the top. Examples include eine überzogene Reaktion or überzogenes Verhalten. In this usage it often carries a critical or evaluative nuance and is close in meaning to übertrieben.

Etymology and usage notes: überzogen is the past participle of überziehen, with the prefix über- attached to ziehen. The related noun Überzug denotes the coating or covering itself. As an attributive adjective, überzogen is declined like other adjective endings in context (ein überzogenes Beispiel, der als überzogen geltende Stil).

Overall, überzogen is a versatile term spanning physical coating, financial status, and figurative emphasis, with the exact meaning guided by context and prepositional construction.