superior

Forms

superior m or f (plural superiores)^[1] Houaiss records superior, ssuperior and superyor in the 15th century.^[2] Morais (1813) notes that the word is used for both genders, but also, as a noun, with a feminine superior;^[3][4] Aurélio has the inflected superiora for the head of a convent.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin superior (“higher, upper”), a learned word.^[2][5][6][1] Houaiss dates it to the 15th century, Cunha to the 16th.^[2][5]

The Latin word is the comparative of superus (“that is above, upper”), which is formed from super (“above, over”).^[2][7][1] Houaiss gives its Latin senses as “higher, placed higher; more powerful, eminent; victorious; the first”.^[2]

The same Latin word was borrowed as Galician superior, Spanish superior and Italian superiore.^[1][8] In French, supérieur was superior about 1160 and took its present form in 1530.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss's 15th-century records come from Cunha's slips of medieval Portuguese, and the sense listed first is “placed higher, above another”.^[2] The CTA has the word in the Regimento proveitoso contra a pestenença, printed about 1496.^[10]

Semantic evolution

Bluteau defines it as “placed higher” and also uses it of heavenly and divine things; in geography, he says, upper and lower lands are those further from or nearer to the sea, as in Germania superior.^[11] Morais (1813) gives the literal sense, then higher rank, jurisdiction over subordinates (also as a noun), excellence (animo superior) and “coming from a superior” (mandado superior).^[3] Houaiss dates the noun “superior, head” to 1720.^[2]

Modern senses include university education (ensino superior), the upper course of a river, “higher” organisms in biology and the later divisions of a geological period.^[2] In Rio Grande do Sul it is an official grade for farm produce of the best quality.^[12]

Timeline

• 15th century – first records, as superior, ssuperior and superyor.^[2]
• c. 1496 – superior in the Regimento proveitoso contra a pestenença.^[10]
• 16th century – Cunha's date for the adjective.^[5]
• 1720 – first record of the noun “superior, person in authority”.^[2]
• 1755 – Folqman's dictionary has os nossos inimigos são superiores em numero.^[13]
• 1813 – Morais records the feminine noun use.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Placed higher, above another; upper: o lábio superior.^[2][4][1]
2. Better than others in quality, merit or rank; superior, excellent: um vinho superior.^[2][4][1]
3. Ranking high on a natural or artificial scale;^[2][14] (biology) more complex in organisation: as plantas superiores.^[2][14]
4. Having authority over another; of higher rank: oficial superior.^[2][15]
5. Coming from a higher authority: ordens superiores.^[2][4]
6. Of university level (of education): ensino superior.^[2][16]
7. (geography) Further north (of a region); nearer the source (of a river): o curso superior do rio.^[2][17]
8. (anatomy) Nearer the head.^[2]

Noun

1. A superior, a person with authority over another; a boss.^[2][14][1]
2. (religion) The head of a convent or religious community (feminine superiora).^[2][4][1]
3. (feminine, rare) The upper section of a theatre, above the stalls; the balcony.^[2][14]

Word family

• superioridade
• superiormente
• superiora

Related words

• súpero
• inferior
• Latin superior

Usage notes

Ser superior a something is to rise above it, not to be overcome or hurt by it (an offence, a slander).^[2] The opposite is inferior.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 q r s t u v w x Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. superior
3. ^ a b c d Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 739
4. ^ a b c d e f Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. superior
5. ^ a b c Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. súpero
6. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. superior
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. superior
8. ^ 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. superior
9. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ a b Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. superior
11. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. superior
12. ^ Schlee, Aldyr Garcia (2019), Dicionário da Cultura Pampeana Sul-Rio-Grandense, 2 vols., Pelotas: Fructos do Paiz, p. s.v. superior
13. ^ Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. superior
14. ^ a b c d Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. superior
15. ^ Aulete, Francisco Júlio Caldas, Dicionário contemporâneo da língua portuguesa (1st ed. 1881), online as Aulete Digital, Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, https://aulete.com.br, p. s.v. superior
16. ^ Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 8725
17. ^ Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. superior