Surfeiting is the noun form of excessive eating or drinking, or an overabundance of something, especially to an unhealthy degree. It refers to indulging to the point of satiation or revulsion, and is often used in formal or literary contexts to describe gluttonous excess or a glut of supply. The term can also imply self-indulgence taken to an extreme, frequently with negative connotations.
"Her surfeiting at the banquet left guests groaning under the weight of too many dishes."
"The report warned against surfeiting of debt, urging prudent financial restraint."
"A surfeiting of information can be as exhausting as a lack of data."
"The explorer lamented a surfeiting of opportunities, yet found no real purpose in any of them."
Surfeiting originates from the verb surfeit, which comes from the Old French surfaire, meaning to excess or overfill, ultimately tracing to the Latin surfeitus from superfacere (to perform beyond). The noun form surfeiting emerged in Middle English, maintaining a sense of fullness or excess after eating or drinking. Historically, surfeit carried religious and moralOvertones in literature, frequently used to critique gluttony or overconsumption among classes. By the 16th–18th centuries, surfeiting broadened to denote excessive abundance in non-edible domains, such as wealth, information, or passions. The suffix -ing marks it as an agent noun or gerund, describing the state or action of surfeiting rather than a single act. In modern usage, surfeiting is more likely to appear in formal, literary, or rhetorical contexts, often with a negative judgment on excess. First known uses appear in late Middle English medical and moral treatises, where surplus consumption of food or drink was discussed as a vice contributing to disease. Over centuries, the word retained its formal tone and is occasionally found in scholarly or high-register writing, as in debates about public health, governance, or cultural critique.
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Words that rhyme with "Surfeiting"
-ing sounds
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Surfeiting is pronounced /ˈsɜːrˌfiːtɪŋ/ in US English, with primary stress on SUR and a secondary stress on FEET. The first syllable uses a rhotacized vowel like /ɜː/ and the second syllable contains a long /iː/ before the -t-; end with /-ɪŋ/. In non-rhotic UK accents you’ll hear /ˈsəːfɪːtɪŋ/ with a shorter /ɪ/ in the second syllable and a reduced first vowel.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (pro- FEET-ting instead of SUR-fei-ting) and shortening the /fiː/ to /fi/ so it sounds like SUR-fet-ting. Another pitfall is treating the /t/ as a hard stop between /fiː/ and /ŋ/, resulting in an exaggerated 'ting' rather than a smooth /tɪŋ/. Correct it by practicing a clear vowel in /fiː/ and a light, quick transition into the nasal /ŋ/.
In US English, you’ll hear /ˈsɜːrˌfiːtɪŋ/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a distinct /ˌfiː/. UK English is often /ˈsəːfɪtɪŋ/ or /ˈsəːfiːtɪŋ/ with a shorter first vowel and non-rhoticity, reducing postvocalic R. Australian tends to be /ˈsɜːfiːtɪŋ/ much like US but with a broader /ɜː/ and slightly different intonation, sometimes a stronger diphthong in /ɜː/. Overall, rhoticity and vowel quality shifts shape the variation.
The difficulty lies in balancing the long /fiː/ with a rapid /tɪŋ/, and maintaining primary stress on SUR while keeping the /ɜːr/ or /əː/ vowel accurate across accents. The alternating vowel quality between /ɜːr/ and /əː/ can be tricky, and the sequence /ˌfiːtɪŋ/ requires a clean, light /t/ followed by a nasal /ŋ/ without breaking the flow. Practicing slow-to-fast tempo helps stabilize the timing.
A unique aspect is the presence of a secondary stress and the long /fiː/ before a lightly enunciated /tɪŋ/. In careful speech you’ll hear the glide into /fiː/ clearly, then a quick, almost silent /t/ release before the nasal. The combination of a stressed initial syllable and a crisp /t/ that blends into /ɪŋ/ marks the word’s precise cadence in formal reading.
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