Overdue

How to spell overdue

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce overdue

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does overdue mean?

1. adjectiveNot paid, returned, or completed by the time it was due; late.

Overdue in a sentence

• The rent was already two weeks overdue when the landlord called.

• She returned the library book that had been overdue for a month.

Where does overdue come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is a compound of two older pieces: the native English prefix over-, from Old English ofer meaning 'beyond' or 'past', and the word 'due'. 'Due' came into English in the 1300s from Old French deu, the past participle of devoir 'to owe', which traces back to the Latin debere 'to owe' (the same root that gives us 'debt' and 'debit'). So the literal sense is 'past the point at which something is owed or expected', whether that is a payment, a library book, or a long-awaited event. The spelling trap is the near-twin verb 'overdo' (to do too much): both share the over- prefix, but 'overdue' keeps the - due ending tied to owing and timing, while 'overdo' ends in plain 'do'. Remembering that 'overdue' is about something owed, sharing its tail with 'due' and 'debt', helps fix the final -ue.

How the word is built

• over- (beyond, past)
• due (owed, expected, from Latin debere: to owe)