Etymologically
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supra

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈsʊ.praː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈsuː.pra][1]

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

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