supero

Forms

superō (present infinitive superāre, perfect active superāvī, supine superātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from superus (“upper, above”) with the verb ending ⟨-ō⟩.^[2][1] superus is from super (“above”),^[1] which goes back to Proto-Italic *supero- (“upper”) and Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over, above”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

L&S's first example is Ennius: maximō saltū superābit gravidus armātīs equus, “the horse, pregnant with armed men, will leap the wall in one great bound”, of the Trojan horse.^[4] Lucilius uses it of a wave rising above the masthead.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Superāre is “to climb over” an obstacle and of things “to rise above, overtop”.^[2][4][1] It is most often “to surpass, excel” someone in a quality, and “to overcome, defeat” an enemy, or absolutely “to gain the upper hand”.^[2][1] It also means “to surmount” difficulties.^[2] Intransitively it is “to be more than enough” (Cicero: it is a fault in a speech both to lack a part and to have too much), “to be left over, remain, survive”, and apparently “to lie beyond”.^[2][1]

Church Latin glosses it “overcome, conquer”.^[5]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius: maximō saltū superābit.^[4][6]
• c. 180–102 BC – Lucilius uses it of a wave.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of having too much.^[2][6]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of goats climbing over a threshold.^[2][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To climb over; to rise above, overtop.^[2][4][1]
2. To surpass, excel, outdo.^[2][1]
3. To overcome, defeat, conquer; to prevail.^[2][1][5]
4. To surmount (difficulties).^[2]
5. To be more than enough, abound.^[2][1]
6. To be left over, remain; to survive.^[2][1]
7. To lie beyond.^[2]

Word family

• exsuperō
• insuperatus
• superābilis
• superāmentum
• superātiō
• superātor
• superātrix
• superāns

Related words

• superus
• super
• supersum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de