super-, supra-, sur-
(Latin: above, over; more than, excessive)
Sur- is a variation of super- developed through the French and shouldn't be confused with another assimilated sur- form that comes from sub- and means: "under, below, beneath".
In some words, super- is amplified to mean: "on top of; higher in rank or position than; superior to; greater in quality, amount, or degree than others of its kind".
2. In grammar, pertaining to, or noting the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs: Here are examples of words that show superlative forms:
- small = smallest
- good = best
- carefully = most carefully
4. Descriptive of an individual or something that is considered to be one of the best: Bill's superlative acting abilities made the drama much more successful.
5. The utmost degree: Ted's new car was described as the most superlative model in its class because no other vehicle had such a high degree of quality!
Did you notice that the image above indicates that it is identified as an adjective; however, isn't the speaker using it as if it were a noun?
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
2. An ideal superior man who, according to Nietzsche, forgoes transient pleasure, exercises creative power, lives at a level of experience beyond standards of good and evil, and is the goal of human evolution.
3. A superior being conceived as the product of human evolution.
4. One who prevails by virtue of being a ruthless egoist of superior strength, cunning, and force of will.
2. Coming from, of, or being in the sky or high above.
2. Characterized by being located in or belonging to the sky.
Oil is a supernatant fluid that moves on the surface of water.
2. A reference to that part of a floating body that is above the top of river or oceanic areas: There are all kinds of supernatant boats that can be suspended on water.3. Etymology: From Latin supernatare, "to float"; from super-, "above, over" + natare, "to swim".
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
2. Characteristic of, or attributed to God or a deity: In some religions, people believe that there is a supernatural or spiritual being that affects the direction of human behavior or events.
3. Concerning something of a superlative degree; preternatural: In the film Teddy was watching there was a missile with supernatural speed.
4. A reference to, or attributed to ghosts, goblins, or other unearthly beings; eerie; occult: Mary had a book about supernatural and phantom-like beings moving around in dark places near people.
5. Referring to a being, place, object, occurrence, etc., considered as mysterious or of unearthly origin: Meg loved to see movies showing scary, mystic, and supernatural occurrences outside the natural order.
6. Descriptive of a behavior supposedly caused by the intervention of unearthly beings: A diviner or magician may have supernatural powers which many people believe in!
7. Denoting paranormal forces and the extrasensory plane of existence: The couple had a deep fear of the supernatural souls and apparitions when they walked by the cemetery.
2. The quality of a preternatural character or agency: Supernaturalism includes the powers of beings that go beyond natural forces and cannot be understood by people.
2. Relating to how something departs from what is considered usual or normal, especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature and attributed to an invisible agent, such as a ghost or spirit: The death of the mailman couldn't be explained at all and the doctors couldn't claifiy his departure from life at all, so it was defined as happening supernaturally by an apparition of his past.
2. A rare celestial phenomenon involving the explosion of most of the material in a star, resulting in an extremely bright, short-lived object that emits vast amounts of energy.
2. Beyond what a regular body or staff consists of: Paul was hired as a supernumerary assistant, or substitute, for anyone who could not show up for work because of an illness or for any other emergency situation.
3. Exceeding the required or desired number or estimate; superfluous: The supernumerary tornadoes caused great destruction and loss of lives in several areas.
4. Descriptive of a person who appears in a play or film without speaking lines or as part of a crowd; a walk-on; an extra: Jennifer and the other people who were in the background of the street scene of the movie were supernumerary actors.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
2. The stimulation of multiple ovulations with fertility drugs.
3. Extraordinary acceleration of ovulation, producing a greater than normal number of ova, usually as a result of the administration of exogenous gonadotropins.
4. Stimulation of multiple ovulation with fertility drugs; also known as controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH).
Related "above, over, beyond the normal, excessive" word units: epi-; hyper-; ultra-, ult-.
Inter-related cross references, directly or indirectly, involving word units meaning "more, plentiful, fullness, excessive, over flowing": copi-; exuber-; hyper-; multi-; opulen-; ple-; pleio-; plethor-; poly-; total-; ultra-; undu-.