overheal

English

Etymology 1

From over- +‎ heal.

Verb

overheal (third-person singular simple present overheals, present participle overhealing, simple past and past participle overhealed)

1. (intransitive) To heal over.
2. (intransitive) To heal excessively or beyond the point of normal healing, usually resulting in the formation of scar tissue.
   • 2011, Song Li, Nicolas L'Heureux, Jennifer Elisseeff, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering:

     First, the tissues can heal slowly and inadequately. Second, the tissues can overheal and deposit and overabundance of fibrotic wound matrix […]

Etymology 2

From Middle English overhelen, equivalent to over- +‎ heal (“to cover”).

Verb

overheal (third-person singular simple present overheals, present participle overhealing, simple past overhole, past participle overholen)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To cover over.

Anagrams

• heal over, overhale