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o·ver·head (ōvər-hĕd)
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adj.
1. Located, functioning, or originating from above.
2. Of or relating to the operating expenses of a business.
n.
1. The operating expenses of a business, including the costs of rent, utilities, interior decoration, and taxes, exclusive of labor and materials.
2. Nautical The top surface in an enclosed space of a ship.
3. Something, such as a light fixture, that is located above head height.
4. Sports A stroke in a game, such as tennis or badminton, that is made with a hard downward motion from above the head.
5.
a. An overhead projector.
b. The image projected by an overhead projector.
adv. (ōvər-hĕd)
Over or above the level of the head; high or higher up: look overhead.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.