'overanalysis' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'over-' + the noun 'analysis', where 'over-' meant 'excess' and 'analysis' comes from Greek 'analusis' (from 'ana-' + 'lysis').

'analysis' entered English via Latin/Medieval Latin from Greek 'analusis' (ἀνάλυσις), where 'ana-' meant 'up, apart' and 'lysis' meant 'a loosening or breaking up'; the modern compound 'overanalysis' is a 20th-century English formation combining 'over-' (excess) with 'analysis'.

Initially 'analysis' meant 'a breaking up' or 'separation into parts'; over time it came to mean a detailed examination. 'Overanalysis' thus developed to mean an excessive form of that examination, i.e., too much detailed scrutiny.