overschiet

Overschiet is a Dutch term that can function as a verb form and, less commonly, as a noun. As a verb, overschiet is the present-tense form of overschieten, meaning to overshoot or to exceed a boundary, target, or expectation. In physical contexts it may refer to a projectile or object that travels beyond a target, for example: “De kogel overschiet het doel.” In non-physical contexts it can describe exceeding budgets, timelines, or tolerances.

As a noun, overschiet is rare in standard Dutch; more common nouns include overschot (surplus, remainder) and overschrijding (exceedance, breach). When used as a noun, it often appears in older texts or in dialects and tends to be replaced by these standard terms in contemporary writing.

Etymology: overschiet derives from over- meaning “over” and schieten meaning “to shoot,” originally indicating something that shoots past a target and by extension something that goes beyond a limit.

Usage: The term is mainly found in linguistic or lexicographic descriptions and in some scientific or technical contexts. In modern Dutch, prefer overschot for a numerical surplus and overschrijding for exceeding a limit; use overschiet as a verb form if you need to convey a literal overshooting action.

See also: overschot, overschrijding, overschieten, overschrijden.