def merge_configs(default, overwrite):
    """Recursively update a dict with the key/value pair of another.

    Dict values that are dictionaries themselves will be updated, whilst
    preserving existing keys.
    """
    new_config = copy.deepcopy(default)

    for k, v in overwrite.items():
        # Make sure to preserve existing items in
        # nested dicts, for example `abbreviations`
        if isinstance(v, dict):
            new_config[k] = merge_configs(default[k], v)
        else:
            new_config[k] = v

    return new_config
Recursively update a dict with the key/value pair of another.

    Dict values that are dictionaries themselves will be updated, whilst
    preserving existing keys.