supra

Forms

suprā (comparative superius, superlative summē or suprēmē)^[1] An inscription has the Old Latin suprad.^[2] Cicero's Aratea and Lucretius have the older form superā.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is the ablative feminine singular of superus (“upper”), Old Latin ⟨suprād⟩, from Proto-Italic *superād.^[2][4][1] De Vaan traces superus to Proto-Italic *supero- and Proto-Indo-European *uper-o- (“situated above”), with the initial /s/ added in Latin as in sub.^[4]

Cognate with Umbrian subra (“above”), from the same ⟨*superād⟩, and, through super, with Sanskrit उपरि (upári, “above”) and Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”).^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Livius Andronicus.^[4] Cato uses the adverb in his work on farming: let the oil lees stand above the bundles.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

As an adverb suprā is “on top, above”, “higher up”, then “above” on a page or in a list (suprā dictus, “mentioned above”), “earlier, further back” in time or in an argument (suprā repetere), “more, in excess” after numbers, “to a higher degree” (Terence: nīl suprā, “nothing could be better”), and “in a higher rank”.^[2][1] As a preposition with the accusative it is “on top of, above” (Plautus calls Jupiter ille quī suprā nōs habitat), “before” in time, “more than, beyond” (suprā modum), and “in charge of”.^[2][1][6]

Medieval Latin also uses it for “more than”, suprā modum for “very”, “ago” after a length of time, and “against” a person.^[7]

Timeline

• 280/260–before 200 BC – Livius Andronicus uses it.^[4][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: ille quī suprā nōs habitat.^[2][5]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses the adverb.^[2][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius has superā.^[2][3][5]

Meanings

Adverb

1. On top, above; higher up.^[2][1][6]
2. Above (in a text).^[2]
3. Before, earlier, previously; further back.^[2][1][6]
4. More, beyond, over (an amount).^[2][1]
5. To a higher degree; in a higher rank.^[2]

Preposition

1. (with accusative) On top of, above, over.^[2][1][6]
2. Before (in time).^[1]
3. More than, beyond.^[2][1][7]
4. In charge of, in authority over.^[1]
5. (Medieval Latin) Against (a person); ago.^[7]

Word family

• insuprā
• suprālātus
• suprānumerārius
• suprascandō
• suprāsedeō
• suprāuīuō
• suprēmus

Related words

• super
• superus
• superior
• īnsuper

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill