o.d.

¹

abbreviation for

1. (in prescriptions) the right eye.

O.D.

²

abbreviation for

1. (in prescriptions) the right eye.

o.d.

³

abbreviation for

1. olive drab.
2. on demand.
3. outside diameter.

O.D.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Doctor of Optometry.
2. officer of the day.
3. Old Dutch.
4. (of a military uniform) olive drab.
5. ordinary seaman.
6. outside diameter.
7. overdraft.
8. overdrawn.

od

⁵

[ od, ohd ]

noun

1. a hypothetical force formerly held to pervade all nature and to manifest itself in magnetism, mesmerism, chemical action, etc.

od

⁶

abbreviation for

1. on demand.
2. outside diameter.
3. outside dimensions.
4. overdraft.
5. overdrawn.

Od

⁷

or 'Od, Odd

[ od ]

interjection

, Archaic.

1. a shortened form of “God” (used in euphemistically altered oaths).

OD

⁸

[ oh-dee ]

noun

, plural ODs or OD's.

1. an overdose of a drug, especially a fatal one.
2. a person who has taken an overdose of a drug, especially one who has become seriously ill or has died from such an overdose.

verb (used without object)

, OD'd or ODed or OD'ed, OD'ing or OD·ing.

1. to take an overdose of a drug.
2. to die from an an overdose of a drug.
3. to have or experience an excessive amount or degree of something.

OD

⁹

abbreviation for

1. officer of the day.
2. Old Dutch ( def ). Also OD., O.D.
3. Ordnance Department.
4. outside diameter.

OD

¹

abbreviation for

1. Officer of the Day
2. Old Dutch
3. ordnance datum
4. outside diameter
5. Alsoo.d. military olive drab
6. AlsoO/D banking
   1. on demand
   2. overdraft
   3. overdrawn

OD

²

/ ˌəʊˈdiː /

noun

1. an overdose of a drug

verb

1. intr to take an overdose of a drug

od

³

/ ˈɒdɪl; ɒd; əʊd /

noun

1. archaic.
   a hypothetical force formerly thought to be responsible for many natural phenomena, such as magnetism, light, and hypnotism

Od

⁴

/ ɒd /

noun

1. euphemistic.
   (used in mild oaths) an archaic word for God

Derived Forms

• ˈodic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of o.d.¹

From Latin oculus dexter

Origin of o.d.²

From Latin oculus dexter

Origin of o.d.³

First recorded in 1840–50; arbitrary name coined by Karl von Reichenbach (1788–1869), German scientist

Origin of o.d.⁴

First recorded in 1590–1600

Origin of o.d.⁵

First recorded in 1955–60

Word History and Origins

Origin of o.d.¹

C20: from o ( ver ) d ( ose )

Origin of o.d.²

C19: coined arbitrarily by Baron Karl von Reichenbach (1788–1869), German scientist

Example Sentences

Other Civil War academics have admitted to me their similar feelings: For those of us who "do" Civil War history, it is possible sometimes to o.d. on the Civil War.

From Salon

In March o.d. will be either enormously distended with eggs, or large, flabby, and empty, and ov. will be small and brownish, without any large eggs; the ovary gradually recovers its size through the summer.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• overdose

About This Word

What else does OD mean?

OD is short for overdose, or taking so much of a drug that it harms or kills you.

How is OD pronounced?

[ oh-dee ]

What are other forms of OD?

O.D.

Where does OD come from?

Overdose combines over, as in “excessive,” and dose, a quantity of a medication or drug. The word dates back to the early 1700s.

The shortened form, OD, is dated to the late 1950s. Like overdose, OD can be a noun and verb. The term may have been popularized by 1960s culture, including everything from hippies to the TV show Dragnet.

Drug ODs are usually spoken of in reference to hard, illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine or prescription painkillers such as OxyContin. They cause the body to shut down, often fatally, though antidotes such as naloxone can help in the case of opiates. Note, though, that one can also OD on everyday medications to various degrees of side effects.

Fast forward to the 1990–2000s, whose culture further spread the term. This includes its use in popular culture like the TV medical drama ER and the reality show Cops as well as, more seriously, the U.S. opioid epidemic, involving far too many real-life ODs.

A number of celebrities have died of ODs in recent decades, from River Phoenix in 1993 to Heath Ledger in 2008 to Prince in 2016. These, tragically, have raised the profile of OD in the popular lexicon.

How is OD used in real life?

OD can be used as a noun (He died of an OD) or a verb (He OD’d on heroin).

It is used by health professionals, law enforcement, and public workers in various situations handling actual overdoses or policy around addiction.

Friday night TL cops were 1st on scene flagged down on an OD w/3 victims down at GG/Jones. Their effort saved all 3 lives w/Narcan & revival techniques. In other incidents, cops broke out car windows to get to unconscious OD vict & saved another in BART. 3 days, 6 more OD saves. pic.twitter.com/9EXJLI1bYJ

— SFPD Tenderloin (@SFPDTenderloin) February 23, 2020

It is also used in everyday speech and writing by the average person discussing or dealing with drug use and abuse.

Less seriously, OD has become a metaphor for too much of anything. This may have inspired the slang ode, meaning “very” or “intensely.”

I literally could OD on memes

— scott killhefner (@Chiappetta2390) September 1, 2016

 

More examples of OD:

“‘Survivor’ winner bit officer after being revived with OD drug: cops”

—Associated Press (headline), February 2018