The teacher assigned too much homework, and this excessive approach stressed the students out.

excessive 是形容词，由前缀 ex-（表示"超出"）和词根 cess（来自拉丁语 cedere，意为"走、移动"）加上形容词后缀 -ive 构成，字面意思是"超出正常范围的"，引申为"过度的、过分的"。