'overactive' originates from the prefix 'over-' meaning 'excessively' and the word 'active' from Latin 'activus', meaning 'engaged in action'.

'active' changed from the Latin word 'activus' and eventually became the modern English word 'active'.

Initially, 'active' meant 'engaged in action', and with the prefix 'over-', it evolved to mean 'excessively active'.