overall

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   Generally; when everything is considered.

   Overall, the trip was a great success.

2. 2
   adj

   Including everything; total.

   The overall cost of the project was higher than expected.

3. 3
   noun

   A piece of protective clothing with trousers and a bib, worn over other clothes for dirty or manual work.

   The mechanic wore a pair of greasy overalls.

From Middle English overall, overal, from Old English ofer eall, ofer ealle (“over all”), equivalent to over + all. Compare Saterland Frisian oural, uural (“everywhere”), West Frisian oeral (“everywhere”), Dutch overal (“everywhere”), German Low German overall, överall (“everywhere; all over”), German überall (“all over; everywhere”), Danish overalt (“everywhere”), Swedish överallt (“everywhere; overall”).

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