surfeit
/ˈsɝː.fɪt/noun, verb
surfeit is spelled S-U-R-F-E-I-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, surfeit means “An excessive amount of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of surfeit is surfeits.
How many letters and syllables are in surfeit?
| Letters | 7: S-U-R-F-E-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 73,203rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is surfeit?
Surfeit appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 73,203rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce surfeit?
- UK /ˈsɜː.fɪt/
- US /ˈsɝː.fɪt/
Surfeit has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-surfeit.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of surfeit
- more surfeit comparative
- most surfeit superlative
- surfeits plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- surfeiting participle, present
- surfeited participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does surfeit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An excessive amount of something.
A surfeit of wheat is driving down the price.
- 2
Overindulgence in either food or drink; overeating.
- 3
A sickness or condition caused by overindulgence.
King Henry I is said to have died of a surfeit of lampreys.
- 4
Disgust caused by excess; satiety.
- 5
A group of skunks.
verb
- 1
To fill (something) to excess.
- 2
To feed (someone) to excess (on, upon or with something).
She surfeited her children on sweets.
- 3
To make (someone) sick as a result of overconsumption.
- 4
To supply (someone) with something to excess; to disgust (someone) through overabundance.
- 5
To satisfy (someone's appetite) to excess.
- 6
To overeat or feed to excess (on or upon something).
- 7
To indulge (in something) to excess.
- 8
To become sick from overindulgence.
adjective
- 1
archaicSated; surfeited; filled.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Surfeit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | excès |
| German | Übermaß , Übersättigung , überfüttern, vollstopfen , sich überfressen |
| Spanish | colmar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does surfeit come from?
From Middle English surfeite, surfet, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman surfet, surfeit and Old French sorfet, sorfait, past participle of surfaire (“to augment, exaggerate, exceed”), from sur- (“over”) + faire (“to do”). The adjective is derived from the noun.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).