Etymologically
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super

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈsuː.pə/, /ˈsjuː-/, US /ˈsuː.pɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening of various English words beginning with super-,[2][3] from Latin super (“above, over, beyond”).[4] The adjective comes especially from superfine, denoting the highest grade of goods,[4][2] and the noun from supernumerary and superintendent, among others.[4][5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective “first-rate, excellent”: 1837,[4][6] implied in extra-super in Dickens's Pickwick Papers and recorded alone in 1842.[5]

Semantic evolution

In trade use super meant “superficial”, of measurements, from 1833, and “superfine” from 1842.[6] As a general term of approval it is in slang by 1895, and was revived in slang by 1967.[4] Super-duper is from 1940.[4] As an adverb, “extremely”, it is from 1946.[7][8] The noun is a supernumerary actor by 1838[4][6] and a superintendent by 1857, at first the overseer of a sheep station in Australia.[4][5] High-octane petrol is super by 1965.[4] An older noun super, a balance left over, short for Latin insuper, is from 1626.[6][2] In American bookbinding, super is a thin starched cotton mesh used to reinforce spines, from the early 20th century.[9][2]

Timeline

  • 1626 – a balance remaining over.[6]
  • 1833 – trade use, superficial.[6]
  • 1837 – first-rate.[4][6]
  • 1838 – a supernumerary actor.[4][6]
  • 1857 – a superintendent.[5]
  • 1940 – super-duper.[4]
  • 1946 – adverb, extremely.[7]
  • 1965 – high-octane petrol.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. (informal) Excellent; first-rate.
  2. Very large or extreme.

Adverb

  1. (informal) Extremely; especially.

Noun

  1. A superintendent, as of an apartment building.
  2. A supernumerary, especially an extra in a play or film.
  3. A product of superior grade, such as high-octane petrol.
  4. (bookbinding) A starched cotton mesh used to reinforce the spines of books.

Word family

  • super-duper
  • Super Bowl
  • super-
  • superb
  • superior
  • supreme
  • superfine
  • supernumerary
  • superintendent

Usage notes

In Scots, Yorkshire and West Country dialect super was a shortened form of superintendent.[10]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  10. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)