Etymologically
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supervisory

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 23:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˌsuːpə(ɹ)ˈvaɪzəɹɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English supervise + -ory.[2][3][4][5] Merriam-Webster instead forms it from Medieval Latin supervīsus, the past participle of supervideō (“to supervise”), and the English suffix.[6] Supervise itself is from the same participle, supervīsus, of supervideō, to oversee or inspect, which is formed from super- (“over”) and videō (“to see”).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Having the function of supervising; of or relating to supervision: 1815, in J. Lowell's Are you Christian or Calvinist?.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1828,[3] Dictionary.com to 1840–50,[5] and the Shorter Oxford to the mid 19th century.[4]

Semantic evolution

The adjective has kept its first sense, of or relating to the oversight of others' work.[2][6] From 1892, first in a United States patent, it was also used in electronics of a circuit, device or program that signals or responds to the state of a telephone line, power supply or other system.[2]

Timeline

  • 1815 – having the function of supervising; relating to supervision.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1828.[3]
  • 1892 – in electronics, of a circuit or device that monitors the state of a line or supply.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to, or involving supervision: She was promoted to a supervisory post.[7][6][2]
  2. (electronics) Of a circuit or device: indicating or responding to the state of a line, power supply or other system.[2]

Word family

  • nonsupervisory

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins