superioridad

Forms

superioridad f (plural superioridades)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Spanish superior + -idad.^[2][3][4] Wiktionary instead treats it as from Medieval Latin superioritās, built on superior (“higher”).^[1] superior continues the Latin comparative of superus (“high, upper”), which comes from super (“above”).^[5][6][7] De Vaan traces the Latin adverb to Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over, above”).^[8]

Corominas dates the noun from Alfonso Martínez de Toledo's work of 1438, and the adjective from the second quarter of the 15th century.^[5][6] The same formation is Catalan superioritat, French supériorité and Italian superiorità.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest records in the CDH are three works of Enrique de Villena of 1424–1428.^[9] In his commentary on the psalm Quoniam videbo the moon is named for its dignitat, superioridat e singularidat, its high rank; in the Tratado de consolación Nero lives en la superioridat imperial “in the imperial supremacy”.^[9] In the translation of the Aeneid it is a title of address, vuestra real superioridat.^[9]

Semantic evolution

In the 15th century the word meant rank and supreme authority, as in Alfonso Martínez de Toledo's la superioridad de nuestro Señor and Diego de Valera's soberana superioridad (c. 1449).^[9] The Diccionario de Autoridades (1739) defined it as preeminence, excellence or advantage in one thing over another.^[10] In 1869 the Academy added the person or persons of higher authority, la superioridad “the authorities”, a sense already found in colonial documents of the 18th century.^[11][12] Moliner adds the advantage of being in better conditions than others, as in a fight.^[13]

Timeline

• 1424 – Enrique de Villena: dignitat, superioridat e singularidat.^[9]
• 1438 – Alfonso Martínez de Toledo, Corbacho (in a copy of 1466), the first record Corominas gives.^[9][5]
• c. 1449 – Diego de Valera, Cirimonial de príncipes: una soberana superioridad.^[9]
• 1545 – the first record in the Americas, in Chile.^[12]
• 1739 – the Diccionario de Autoridades defines it.^[10]
• 1869 – the Academy adds the sense “persons of higher authority”.^[11]
• 1884 – the Academy derives it from superior.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. superiority: preeminence, excellence or advantage of someone or something over another: Demostró su superioridad en la final.^[2][1][13]
2. (with la) The person or persons of higher authority; the authorities: Esperamos la respuesta de la superioridad.^[2][13]

Related words

• superior
• inferioridad

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. superioridad
3. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies)
4. ^ Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv
5. ^ a b c Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 277
6. ^ a b Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. sobre
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b c d e f g Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. superioridad
10. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 6, 187
11. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1869), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 11th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de Don Manuel Rivadeneyra
12. ^ a b Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies
13. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos