super-prefix
1. Forming adjectives and nouns denoting a thing which is situated over, above, higher than, or (less commonly) upon another, and verbs expressing this relation.
a. In prepositional relation to the noun constituting or implied in the second element.
(a) Prefixed to miscellaneous adjectives, chiefly of a scientific or technical nature. See also supercelestial adj., superterrene adj., superterrestrial adj.† supertelluric adj. Obsolete rare corresponding to a position above or beyond the earth's atmosphere; cf. superterranean adj.
super-aerial adj. 
/ˌsjuːpəˈɛːrɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈɛːrɪəl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈɛːrɪəl//ˌsjuːpəˈɛːrɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɛriəl/
situated or taking place above the air or atmosphere./ˌsupərˈɛriəl/ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > space > [adjective]
apogeana1644
ultramundane1656
extramundane1661
super-aerial1664
outworldish1674
unterrestrial1745
transmundane1777
extra-terrene1843
cosmical1849
extra-telluric1868
extra-terrestrial1868
exterrestrial1870
cosmic1876
extra-tellurian1881
supermundane1883
Uranian1908
contraterrene1946
space-borne1952
space-borne1967
spacy1967
1664 N. Ingelo Bentivolio & Urania: 2nd Pt. v. 109 They confine him to the Superaerial Regions.
1822 ‘P. Beauchamp’ Anal. Infl. Nat. Relig. ii. 116 Incomprehensible phenomena are ascribed..to the incomprehensible person above. They call forth..the deepest horror..as being sudden eruptions of the super-aërial volcano.
1900 Nation 6 Dec. 452/2 The use of stored oxygen for their breathing on their aerial and super-aerial voyages.
1999 Mod. Lang. Rev. 94 371 The unchecked hyperbole of the fantasy reaches absurd proportions as the city-scape shifts to a super-aerial place where all is tumult and passion.
superaqueous adj. /ˌsuːpərˈeɪkwɪəs/, /ˌsjuːpərˈakwɪəs/, /ˌsjuːpərˈeɪkwɪəs/, /ˌsupərˈækwiəs/ situated on or above the surface of water.
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈakwɪəs/
, /ˌsuːpərˈakwɪəs//ˌsuːpərˈeɪkwɪəs//ˌsjuːpərˈakwɪəs//ˌsjuːpərˈeɪkwɪəs/U.S. /ˌsupərˈeɪkwiəs/
, /ˌsupərˈeɪkwiəs//ˌsupərˈækwiəs/ΚΠ
1743 F. Walsh Antediluvian World xvi. 303 The few Fragments into which the super-aqueous Earth was first divided.
1886 R. Munro in Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. May 459 A wooden gangway, probably submerged, stretched to the shore..there has been no evidence to show that the uprights supported a superaqueous platform.
2002 Spectator (Nexis) 19 Oct. A large triptych, ‘Pond’, dominates his small exhibition at Art First, humming with sub- and super-aqueous life.
super-auricular adj. /ˌsjuːpərɔːˈrɪkjᵿlə/, /ˌsupərˌɑˈrɪkjələr/ rare situated above the ears.
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɔːˈrɪkᵿlə/
, /ˌsuːpərɔːˈrɪkᵿlə//ˌsjuːpərɔːˈrɪkjᵿlə/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɔˈrɪkjələr/
, /ˌsupərˌɔˈrɪkjələr//ˌsupərˌɑˈrɪkjələr/ΚΠ
1845 S. Judd Margaret ii. i. 195 Those super-auricular capillary appendages, hardened with pomatum.
1922 Laryngoscope 32 729 It was a localized, super-auricular abscess.
super-cretaceous adj. /ˌsjuːpəkrᵻˈteɪʃəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkrᵻˈteɪʃəs/
, /ˌsuːpəkrᵻˈteɪʃəs//ˌsjuːpəkrᵻˈteɪʃəs/U.S. /ˌsupərkrəˈteɪʃəs/
Geology (now rare) = supracretaceous adj. at supra- prefix 1a(b); cf. tertiary adj. 2b./ˌsupərkrəˈteɪʃəs/ΚΠ
1830 H. T. De la Beche Sections & Views 4 Deposits may be formed of much greater thickness than the whole of those of the supercretaceous basin of Paris.
1831 H. T. De la Beche Geol. Man. iv. 181 Supercretaceous Group. (Syn. Superior Order, Conyb.; Tertiary Rocks, Engl. Authors).
1917 R. D. Salisbury & G. N. Knapp Quaternary Formations Southern New Jersey iii. 143 In later erosion, the higher southeast region suffered most, and the gravels and most super-Cretaceous beds were removed.
super-empyreal adj. /ˌsuːpərɛmpʌɪˈriːəl/, /ˌsuːpərɛmˈpɪrɪəl/, /ˌsjuːpərɛmpᵻˈriːəl/, /ˌsjuːpərɛmpʌɪˈriːəl/, /ˌsjuːpərɛmˈpɪrɪəl/, /ˌsupərˌɛmpəˈriəl/, /ˌsupərˌɛmˈpɪriəl/ [compare post-classical Latin superempyreus (13th cent. in a British source)] now rare situated above the empyrean or firmament; of or relating to the region above the empyrean; also figurative.
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɛmpᵻˈriːəl/
, /ˌsuːpərɛmpᵻˈriːəl//ˌsuːpərɛmpʌɪˈriːəl//ˌsuːpərɛmˈpɪrɪəl//ˌsjuːpərɛmpᵻˈriːəl//ˌsjuːpərɛmpʌɪˈriːəl//ˌsjuːpərɛmˈpɪrɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɛmˌpaɪˈriəl/
, /ˌsupərˌɛmˌpaɪˈriəl//ˌsupərˌɛmpəˈriəl//ˌsupərˌɛmˈpɪriəl/ΚΠ
a1711 T. Ken Hymnotheo iii, in Wks. (1721) III. 90 As super-Empyreal Waves unsluc'd, With Ocean mix[t], the gen'ral Flood produc'd.
1998 W. May tr. R. Rakhmanaliev Bk. & World Reading Process i. 21 Above every psychological empyreal height lies a super-empyreal absolute, a transcendental essential origin.
superglacial adj. /ˌsuːpəˈɡleɪsɪəl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈɡleɪʃl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈɡleɪsɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈɡleɪʃl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈɡleɪʃl//ˌsuːpəˈɡleɪsɪəl//ˌsjuːpəˈɡleɪʃl//ˌsjuːpəˈɡleɪsɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɡleɪʃ(ə)l/
Geology situated or occurring on the surface of ice, esp. the surface of a glacier./ˌsupərˈɡleɪʃ(ə)l/ΚΠ
1828 W. E. Parry Narr. Attempt to reach N. Pole 80 If anything could have compensated for the delay these occasioned us, it would have been the beautiful blue colour peculiar to these super-glacial lakes.
1886 A. Winchell Walks & Talks in Geol. Field 274 The summer sun gave origin to superglacial streams.
2005 R. LeB. Hooke Princ. Glacier Mech. (ed. 2) viii. 243 The boulder bed, however, seemed to require a water flux greater than could be supplied by superglacial water.
superlabial adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈleɪbɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈleɪbɪəl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈleɪbɪəl//ˌsjuːpəˈleɪbɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈleɪbiəl/
situated on or above the lip; cf. supralabial adj. and n. at supra- prefix 1c(c)./ˌsupərˈleɪbiəl/ΚΠ
1843 New World 15 Apr. 452/1 Cupid loves to dance upon a curl, or shoot his arrows from a superlabial shoe-brush.
1888 Standard 13 Dec. 3 Deprived of their superlabial ornaments.
2002 Functional Ecol. 16 767/1 Distance from the posterior edge of the posterior-most superlabial scale to the anterior tip of the rostrum.
superlineal adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈlɪnɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈlɪnɪəl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈlɪnɪəl//ˌsjuːpəˈlɪnɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈlɪniəl/
chiefly Textual Criticism written above the line of the text; cf. superlinear adj. 3, supralineal adj. at supra- prefix 1a(b)./ˌsupərˈlɪniəl/ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [adjective] > written above the line
superscribed1776
superscript1793
superlineal1853
superlinear1872
supralineal1874
suprascript1882
superscripted1938
1853 C. P. Reiff Параллельные словари (ed. 2) I. 333/1 Надстрочный, above the line, superlineal.
1877 Athenæum 1 Dec. 701/1 MSS. with the so-called Assyrian punctuation or superlineal vowel points.
1997 Early Sci. & Med. 2 260 The use of arrowed brackets <> indicates a superlineal insertion in the original manuscript.
super-spatial adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈspeɪʃl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈspeɪʃl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈspeɪʃl//ˌsjuːpəˈspeɪʃl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈspeɪʃ(ə)l/
situated or taking place above or outside the limits of space./ˌsupərˈspeɪʃ(ə)l/ΚΠ
1883 P. Schaff et al. Relig. Encycl. II. 950 This superspatial heaven, above the cloudy and the stellar heavens.
1926 Jrnl. Philos. Stud. 1 157 The dynamic multipresence of a super-spatial entity in different portions of space.
2010 V. Guroian Melody of Faith ii. 38 The descent into Hades is a super-temporal and super-spatial event, similar to the Resurrection, though not happening on terra firma itself.
ΚΠ
1886 Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. 32 542 Those three most striking linear constellations of great A, great B, and the Alpha band; all of them now considered to be due to absorption by cold Oxygen in telluric, and super-telluric, position.
(b) Anatomy, Botany, and Zoology. Forming adjectives (some of which are also used as nouns) denoting a location above, or on the dorsal side of, or (sometimes) on the upper surface of the part denoted by the second element; = supra- prefix 1a(a).
(i) † supersphenoidal adj. Obsolete
superacromial adj. and n. /ˌsjuːpərəˈkrəʊmɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərəˈkrəʊmɪəl/
, /ˌsuːpərəˈkrəʊmɪəl//ˌsjuːpərəˈkrəʊmɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərəˈkroʊmiəl/
/ˌsupərəˈkroʊmiəl/ΚΠ
1831 W. S. Cox Synopsis Bones 273 The External Descending Branches are four or five in number..; (3) super acromial branch which passes along the inner margin of the trapezius, and is eventually distributed to the deltoid muscle.
1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. III. 572/1 Superficial nerves... The supra-clavicular and super-acromial.
2004 A. Stäbler in A. M. Davies & J. Hodler Imaging Shoulder (2006) ix. 125/1 The position, and lateral orientation of the coracoid process and lateral superacromial osteophytes can be evaluated.
superambulacral adj. /ˌsuːpərambjᵿˈlakr(ə)l/, /ˌsjuːpərambjᵿˈleɪkr(ə)l/, /ˌsjuːpərambjᵿˈlakr(ə)l/, /ˌsupərˌæmbjəˈleɪkrəl/
Brit. /ˌsuːpərambjᵿˈleɪkr(ə)l/
, /ˌsuːpərambjᵿˈleɪkr(ə)l//ˌsuːpərambjᵿˈlakr(ə)l//ˌsjuːpərambjᵿˈleɪkr(ə)l//ˌsjuːpərambjᵿˈlakr(ə)l/U.S. /ˌsupərˌæmbjəˈlækrəl/
, /ˌsupərˌæmbjəˈlækrəl//ˌsupərˌæmbjəˈleɪkrəl/ΚΠ
1856 T. H. Huxley in Med. Times & Gaz. 29 Nov. 538/1 Each ossicle supports a ring, composed of four plates; one antambulacral (b), one ventral, or, rather, superambulacral (d), and two lateral (e).
1914 A. E. Verrill in Harriman Alaska Ser. (Smithsonian Inst.) XIV. 286 Family Goniasteridæ... Superambulacral plates may be present or absent.
1995 D. Heddle in R. H. Empson et al. Echinoderm Res. 1995 180/1 The transverse series of roughly cylindrical ossicles..may contain the homologues of the adambulacral. superambulacral and inferior marginal ossicles.
superaxillary adj. /ˌsjuːpərakˈsɪl(ə)ri/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərakˈsɪl(ə)ri/
, /ˌsuːpərakˈsɪl(ə)ri//ˌsjuːpərakˈsɪl(ə)ri/U.S. /ˌsupərˈæksəˌlɛri/
[after scientific Latin superaxillaris (1767 or earlier).] /ˌsupərˈæksəˌlɛri/ΚΠ
1784 tr. C. Linnaeus Syst. Veg. (1785) II. 645 Shrubby erect, leaves egg-hearted, opposite sessile, prickles superaxillary, calyxes intire.
1863 Proc. Calif. Acad. Nat. Sci. 2 164 Flowers white with a yellowish throat, few, rather remote, on long, lateral, superaxillary pedicels.
1996 Jrnl. Paleontol. 70 1076/2 It has rather distantly spaced leaves and superaxillary cones.
superethmoidal adj. and n. /ˌsjuːpərɛθˈmɔɪdl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɛθˈmɔɪdl/
, /ˌsuːpərɛθˈmɔɪdl//ˌsjuːpərɛθˈmɔɪdl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɛθˈmɔɪd(ə)l/
now rare/ˌsupərˌɛθˈmɔɪd(ə)l/ΚΠ
1870 G. Rolleston Forms Animal Life 25 Superethmoidal and interorbital vacuities.
1877–8 Proc. Royal Soc. Edinb. 9 280 The superethmoidal forms as usual a blunt prominence projecting over the front of the mouth.
1914 R. H. Traquair Ganoid Fishes Brit. Carboniferous Formations i. 16 In advance of the two frontals, and forming the prominence of the snout projecting over the mouth, is a large median superethmoidal.
superfoliaceous adj. /ˌsjuːpəfəʊlɪˈeɪʃəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəfəʊlɪˈeɪʃəs/
, /ˌsuːpəfəʊlɪˈeɪʃəs//ˌsjuːpəfəʊlɪˈeɪʃəs/U.S. /ˌsupərˌfoʊliˈeɪʃəs/
rare Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries./ˌsupərˌfoʊliˈeɪʃəs/ΚΠ
1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms Superfoliaceous = suprafoliaceous.
supersphenoid adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈsfiːnɔɪd/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsfiːnɔɪd/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsfiːnɔɪd//ˌsjuːpəˈsfiːnɔɪd/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsfiˌnɔɪd/
rare Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries./ˌsupərˈsfiˌnɔɪd/ΚΠ
1900 W. A. N. Dorland Amer. Illustr. Med. Dict. 654/1 Supersphenoid, above the sphenoid bone.
ΚΠ
1804 Brit. Critic July 66 (table) Super-sphenoidal peduncle and appendix.
1873 G. Fleming tr. A. Chauveau & S. Arloing Compar. Anat. Domesticated Animals 62 The supersphenoidal canals are only two in number: one represents the great sphenoidal fissure, the other the round foramen.
(ii) † supersquamosal n. Obsolete (Owen's term for) a bone located above the squamosal in the skulls of certain extinct reptiles.
supercallosal adj. and n. As adjective/ˌsjuːpəkəˈləʊsl/, /ˈsjuːpəkəˌlɒsl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkəˈləʊsl/
, /ˌsuːpəkəˈləʊsl//ˌsjuːpəkəˈləʊsl/U.S. /ˌsupərkəˈloʊs(ə)l/
, As noun also/ˌsupərkəˈloʊs(ə)l/Brit. /ˈsuːpəkəˌlɒsl/
, /ˈsuːpəkəˌlɒsl//ˈsjuːpəkəˌlɒsl/U.S. /ˈsupərkəˌloʊs(ə)l/
(a) adj. situated above the corpus callosum; (b) n. a supercallosal fissure (now rare)./ˈsupərkəˌloʊs(ə)l/ΚΠ
1868 R. Owen On Anat. Vertebr. III. xxviii. 103 Besides the long and deep ‘hippocampal fold’, the fore part of the mesial surface shows a beginning of the supercallosal one.
1905 Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 21 263 The supercallosal proper is shortened by the intervention of an oblique isthmus joining the superfrontal and callosal gyres.
1957 Electroencephalogr. & Clin. Neurophysiol. 9 181/2 A seizure induced by electrically stimulating the anterior and posterior limbic cortex (primarily in its supercallosal portion).
2004 O. French tr. A. Faller et al. Human Body xiii. 596 The limbic system includes..indusium griseum (supercallosal gyrus), and the most important fiber tract to the hypothalamus, the fornix.
supercentral adj. and n. As adjective/ˌsjuːpəˈsɛntr(ə)l/, /ˈsjuːpəˌsɛntr(ə)l/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsɛntr(ə)l/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsɛntr(ə)l//ˌsjuːpəˈsɛntr(ə)l/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsɛntrəl/
, As noun also/ˌsupərˈsɛntrəl/Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsɛntr(ə)l/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsɛntr(ə)l//ˈsjuːpəˌsɛntr(ə)l/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɛntrəl/
now rare (a) adj. located above the central sulcus of the cerebral cortex; (b) n. a supercentral sulcus./ˈsupərˌsɛntrəl/ΚΠ
1886 Amer. Naturalist 20 902 The fifteen constant, intergyral fissures, without structural correlatives: Paracentral,..orbital, precentral, supercentral (dorsal part of precentral), postcentral, parietal and precuneal.
1903 Amer. Anthropologist 5 623 The supercentral is of the usual zygal shape, freely continuous cephalad with the superfrontal.
1910 E. A. Spitzka Gray's Anat. (U.S. ed. 18) 920 From its position it is termed the supercentral or superior precentral fissure.
ΚΠ
1858 R.Owen in Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1 392 The upper and anterior angle is wedged between the super-squamosal and post-orbital.
1871 Proc. 19th Meeting Amer. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 201 This is also peculiar to this order, and is the supersquamosal of Owen.
(c) Botany. Forming adjectives relating to the geographical distribution of plants.
superagrarian adj. /ˌsjuːpərəˈɡrɛːrɪən/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərəˈɡrɛːrɪən/
, /ˌsuːpərəˈɡrɛːrɪən//ˌsjuːpərəˈɡrɛːrɪən/U.S. /ˌsupərəˈɡrɛriən/
now rare (in the terminology of H. C. Watson) designating a zone of vegetation occurring above the line of cultivation, which forms one of six such zones in the British Isles and is characteristic of the uplands of northern England./ˌsupərəˈɡrɛriən/ΚΠ
1847 H. C. Watson Cybele Britannica I. 37 We have next to sub-divide the Agrarian Region into zones; and for these also we may use the same terms as before, prefixed to the name of the region, and say an Infer-agrarian, Mid-agrarian, and Super-agrarian zone.
1883 Naturalist 8 148 Of the 100 montane plants of the North of England, ten species are almost or quite restricted to an area of a few square miles in the superagrarian zone in Upper Teesdale.
1907 J. A. Wheldon & A. Wilson Flora W. Lancs. 72 Three only are represented in West Lancashire, viz., the Infer-Arctic, Super-Agrarian, and Mid-Agrarian.
superarctic n. /ˈsuːpəˌɑːtɪk/, /ˈsjuːpəˌɑːktɪk/, /ˈsjuːpəˌɑːtɪk/, /ˈsupərˌɑrdɪk/ now historical and rare (in the terminology of H. C. Watson) designating a zone of vegetation occurring above the heather line, which forms one of six such zones in the British Isles and is characteristic of the highest areas of Scotland.
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌɑːktɪk/
, /ˈsuːpəˌɑːktɪk//ˈsuːpəˌɑːtɪk//ˈsjuːpəˌɑːktɪk//ˈsjuːpəˌɑːtɪk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɑrktɪk/
, /ˈsupərˌɑrktɪk//ˈsupərˌɑrdɪk/ΚΠ
1847 H. C. Watson Cybele Britannica I. 36 To keep up some uniformity of terms, as more easily remembered, the three zones of the arctic region may be appropriately designated the Super-arctic, Mid-arctic, and Infer-arctic zones.
1933 Proc. Royal Irish Acad. 1932–3 B. 41 113 In Great Britain it is confined to the northern half of Scotland, where it ranges from the Superagrarian to the Superarctic Zone of Watson.
2007 Jrnl. Hist. Geol. 33 800 Ben Lawers, part of what the topographic botanist Hewett Cottrell Watson had termed a superarctic zone, was for White a last citadel for one plant, Saxifraga cernua.
(d) Prefixed to nouns, denoting something placed over or upon that which is denoted by the second element. See superaltar n., superfrontal n., superhumeral n.
b. In adverbial relation to the second element.
(a) With reference to physical position above or on top of something.
(i) Prefixed to participial adjectives and adjectives based on Latin participles, as supergravitating, superimpending, superinflected, superlying, superponderant, superstanding, etc. See also superambient adj.
ΚΠ
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 10 These two processes meting after a superinflected maner, are..knit together by an oblique Suture.
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. 13 b/2 To bringe the supersituated places together.
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. ii. 112 According to the weight of the Supergravitating Water.
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. ii. 105 The top of the Mountain..being so much nearer the top of the Atmosphære, a lesser weight of Superponderant Ayr makes a lesser quantity of Quicksilver arise in the Tube.
a1711 T. Ken Edmund iii, in Wks. (1721) II. 83 As Divers at the Bottom of the Deep Feel not the vast superimpending Heap.
1859 C. Forster Monuments Assyria 87 The super-standing word.
1866 P. H. Lawrence tr. B. von Cotta Rocks Classified iii. 386 What thickness of superlying strata should be assumed as sufficient.
1884 Decorator & Furnisher 4 207/2 The center is formed of two superlaid squares.
1904 A. R. Sennett Across Great St. Bernard App. 52 It is itself formed by evaporation of surplus water falling from its superpendant companion.
(ii) Prefixed to nouns.† superaffusion n. Obsolete rare = superfusion n.1 1.† superinundation n. [compare post-classical Latin superinundatio (from 12th cent. in British sources)] Obsolete flooding; an instance of this, a flood; also figurative.† superundation n. [compare post-classical Latin superundatio (from 13th cent. in British sources)] Obsolete a flood caused by the rising of the tide.
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1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Superaffusion,..a shedding upon, a pouring on the top.
1809 Philos. Trans. Abridged 1724–34 7 395 So far from being extinguished by the most profuse superaffusion [1730 supereffusion] of common water.
supercolumniation n. /ˌsjuːpəkəlʌmnɪˈeɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkəlʌmnɪˈeɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəkəlʌmnɪˈeɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəkəlʌmnɪˈeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərkəˌləmniˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
Architecture the erection of columns of one order on top of those of another; such an arrangement of columns./ˌsupərkəˌləmniˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
?1787 Artist's Repository & Drawing Mag. 2 194 The Banqueting-House..not only claims a place for its merit, but also as being an example of super-columniation, or order over order: the inferior being Ionic, the superior Corinthian.
1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 94/1 The writer objects—and so do we—to super-columniation.
2008 J. E. Cleland Silent Sentinel 63 The supercolumniation used at St. Paul's..suggests the engaged columns are acting as bulwarks to help in the enormous task of holding the facade up.
ΚΠ
1633 T. Adams Comm. 2 Peter (iii. 6) 1208 Hee recovered the earth from the superinundation of waters.
1644 S. Rutherford Lex, Rex xxii. 181 No law at all, by Royalists way, to impede a King from a super-inundation of overflowing Tyranny.
ΚΠ
1769 E. Bancroft Ess. Nat. Hist. Guiana 12 Those superundations..are the source of this redundant fertility.
1787 F. Hargrave Coll. Tracts Relative to Law of Eng. I. i. vi. 30 Sometimes the ocean..leaves the English shore in a great considerable measure; possibly by reason of some superundation on the other eastern shore.
(iii) Prefixed to transitive verbs and related adjectives.† superaffuse v. Obsolete rare transitive to pour (a liquid) on to something; cf. superfuse v.1 1a.† supergurgitate v. Obsolete transitive to cause to overflow.† super-Jesuited adj. Obsolete ruled over by Jesuits.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1652 W. Charleton Darknes Atheism iii. 80 This kinde of delectation..can adfer infinitely less of addition to that fulness of Beatitude, formally radicated in his Essence; then one smal drop of water superaffused to the immensity of a million of Oceans.
1654 W. Charleton Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana iii. i. 133 Instead of Senna, infuse Rose leaves in the Water, and superaffuse thereto a few drops of the Spirit of Vitriol.
ΚΠ
1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais 2nd Bk. Wks. vi. 32 Mammona doth not supergurgitate [Fr. supergurgite] any thing in my loculs.
superindue v. /ˌsuːpərᵻnˈdʒuː/, /ˌsjuːpərᵻnˈdjuː/, /ˌsjuːpərᵻnˈdʒuː/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərᵻnˈdjuː/
, /ˌsuːpərᵻnˈdjuː//ˌsuːpərᵻnˈdʒuː//ˌsjuːpərᵻnˈdjuː//ˌsjuːpərᵻnˈdʒuː/U.S. /ˌsupərᵻnˈd(j)u/
[after classical Latin superinduere to put on over other clothes] now rare transitive to put on as a garment, esp. over another.Chiefly with reference to 2 Corinthians 5:2–4. Cf. superinvestiture n./ˌsupərᵻnˈd(j)u/ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > providing with clothing > provide with clothing [verb (transitive)] > put on > put on as clothing
clothea1300
invest1596
superindue1678
to on with1843
1678 R. Cudworth tr. Origen in True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. v. 818 The Scripture Oracles affirm, that the Earthly House of this Schenos, shall be corrupted or dissolved, but the Schenos it self, Superindue or Put On a House not made with hands.
1858 E. H. Sears Athanasia iv. 27 We shall have our lost bodies again, to be superindued upon these attenuated ones.
a1919 C. A. Scott in A. S. Peake & A. J. Grieve Comm. Bible (1920) 852/1 There has been much discussion..as to whether he conceives of the new spiritual body as taking the place of the old physical body, or as being super-indued over the physical body when it has been raised from the dead.
ΚΠ
a1628 F. Greville Life of Sidney (1651) ix. 111 Only to keep those humble religious souls free from oppression, in that super-Jesuited soveraignty.
(b) Prefixed to verbs and related adjectives and nouns expressing actions done or conditions obtaining on a higher level of existence. See also superexist v., superexistent n., supersistent adj.† supersubsisting adj. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage i. i. 2 Names, in regard both of author & obiect diuine; sometimes..in the concrete; sometimes in the abstract; the first signifying his perfect subsistence; the other his supersubsisting perfection.
1623 S. Purchas Kings Towre 21 The Word, which is supersubsisting saluation, was made flesh, did assume into personall subsistence the humane nature.
c. In adjectival relation to the noun constituting or implied in the second element. Cf. supra- prefix 1c.
(a) Forming nouns denoting the upper part of something, or an object situated on top of another, as super-cloth, supercrust, supersoil, supertower, etc.
ΚΠ
1573 in T. Thomson Acts & Proc. Kirk of Scotl. (1839) I. 287 Sir Walter Robesone..past with a dead corps to the kirk, having the supercloath upon him in popish manner.
1670 S. Gott Divine Hist. Genesis World 483 The true System of the World,..that is, the Superæther, and utmost Circumference therof; and within that Concave Sphere, the Æther, [etc.].
1796 J. Keys Antient Bee-Master's Farewell i. ii. 8 The super-box seemed quite full of honey and brood.
1848 J. D. Hooker Let. 13 Oct. in C. Darwin Corr. (1988) IV. 174 The definition of the super from the sub soil is..clear.
1880 J. D. Dana Man. Geol. (ed. 3) 147 The series of rocks..that makes up the earth's supercrust—the only part..which is within the range of direct investigation.
1884 Contemp. Rev. July 104 Placing an octagonal super-tower, or ‘lantern’, on a square sub-tower.
1893 H. M. Wilson Irrigation Engin. (1909) xii. 285 Where the canal is at a lower level than the drainage channel, a super~passage is employed to carry the latter over the canal.
1906 Athenæum 10 Mar. 304/2 A super-stage can be attached for examining transparent objects.
1986 Washington Post (Nexis) 27 Nov. t22 Besides cleaning up, you will help the debris reappear as rich, dark, friable supersoil in the spring.
2011 P. R. Spalart et al. in M. V. Salvetti et al. Quality & Reliability of Large-eddy Simulations II ii. 257 Some estimates make the viscous super-layer as thin as the viscous sub-layer.
(b) † superplant n. Obsolete a plant growing on another plant; a parasitic plant or epiphyte.† super-writing n. Obsolete writing superimposed on other writing.
supermonial n. /ˌsjuːpəˈməʊnɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈməʊnɪəl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈməʊnɪəl//ˌsjuːpəˈməʊnɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈmoʊniəl/
Architecture (now rare) = supermullion n./ˌsupərˈmoʊniəl/ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > parts of windows > [noun] > glazing or dividing bar
monial1332
sodlet1332
stay-bar1399
transom1502
mullion1556
munnion1571
calm1577
leading1597
window bar1612
stroke1684
came1688
leads1705
saddle-bar?1733
transom-shaft1813
sash bar1837
baluster1844
baluster column1844
supermonial1846
supermullion1846
astragal1858
wagtail1940
1846 F. A. Paley Man. Gothic Archit. 184 The smaller tracery-bars, or super-monials, divide the tracery into compartments.
1900 Yorks. Archaeol. Jrnl. 15 290 Abbot Darnton..inserted, in place of the old lights, a large window of seven lights with two transoms and supermonials.
supermullion n. /ˌsjuːpəˈmʌlɪən/, /ˌsupərˈməliən/ Architecture a mullion in the tracery of the upper part of a window.
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈmʌlɪən/
, /ˌsuːpəˈmʌlɪən//ˌsjuːpəˈmʌlɪən/U.S. /ˌsupərˈməljən/
, /ˌsupərˈməljən//ˌsupərˈməliən/ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > parts of windows > [noun] > glazing or dividing bar
monial1332
sodlet1332
stay-bar1399
transom1502
mullion1556
munnion1571
calm1577
leading1597
window bar1612
stroke1684
came1688
leads1705
saddle-bar?1733
transom-shaft1813
sash bar1837
baluster1844
baluster column1844
supermonial1846
supermullion1846
astragal1858
wagtail1940
1846 C. Thomas Sketches for Ecclesiol. of Deaneries Sparham & Taverham (new ed.) 54 The east window has three cinquefoiled ogee lights under a Tudor arch, and having transoms below the ‘supermullions’ which are trefoiled.
1912 F. Bond Cathedrals 337 The supermullion is just beginning to find its way into the tracery (1349–1362).
2002 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Antiquaries Ireland 132 63 (caption) East window with two round headed lights and supermullions over.
supermullioned adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈmʌlɪənd/, /ˌsupərˈməliənd/ Architecture provided or constructed with supermullions.
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈmʌlɪənd/
, /ˌsuːpəˈmʌlɪənd//ˌsjuːpəˈmʌlɪənd/U.S. /ˌsupərˈməljənd/
, /ˌsupərˈməljənd//ˌsupərˈməliənd/ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > types of window > [adjective] > other types of window
three-light1618
casemented1759
mullioned1763
quarried1805
lanceolated1821
supermullioned1838
north-facing1846
lanceted1855
lanciform1855
leaded1855
unmullioned1857
quarrelled1868
through-archa1878
shaftless1881
lanceolate1883
vitrailed1884
double-glazed1910
wind-up1951
screenless1976
thermal pane1978
1838 Penny Cycl. XI. 325/1 We might employ the epithet super-mullioned, as indicating that the upper divisions of the windows have mullions rising from the arches of the lower ones.
1890 Archaeol. Jrnl. 47 92 With plain fenestrations of five-foiled openings supermullioned.
2010 S. Hart Medieval Church Window Tracery in Eng. vii. 124 Supermullioned windows may be of any size from two-light windows..to the largest windows with many lights.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by nutrition or respiration > [noun] > epiphyte
superplant1626
supercrescence1646
air plant1799
epiphyte1861
strangler1895
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §556 We finde no Super-Plant, that is a Formed Plant, but Misseltoe.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica ii. vi. 98 An arboreous excrescence, or rather superplant . View more context for this quotation
1740 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. (new ed.) at Hypocistis These plants grow from the Root of the Cistus, or Rock-rose, and cannot be cultivated by Art; it being a Superplant, like the Mistletoe.
1813 Entertaining Mag. Aug. 442/2 An unhealthy tree is never without these imperfect super-plants [sc. mosses].
1821 Bot. Reg. 7 §603 The genus [Cuscuta] consists wholly of parasites, or, as they were formerly termed, superplants.
supervestment n. /ˈsjuːpəˌvɛs(t)m(ə)nt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌvɛs(t)m(ə)nt/
, /ˈsuːpəˌvɛs(t)m(ə)nt//ˈsjuːpəˌvɛs(t)m(ə)nt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌvɛs(t)mənt/
[compare post-classical Latin supervestimentum (4th or 5th cent. in Jerome)] now rare an outer garment./ˈsupərˌvɛs(t)mənt/ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > outerwear > [noun] > article of
overclothc1390
hulling1434
overgarmenta1470
outsides1631
overall1631
supervesture1648
tog1708
supervestment1865
Montenegrin1890
outer1904
1865 Guardian 6 Dec. 1216/2 The primitive ecclesiastical dress..became overlaid likewise with additional supervestments derived partly from the old heathen Pontificate.
1935 Bull. Museum of Fine Arts 33 9/1 The chasuble is the supervestment worn by the priest who officiates at the Mass.
supervesture n. /ˈsjuːpəˌvɛstʃə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌvɛstʃə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌvɛstʃə//ˈsjuːpəˌvɛstʃə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌvɛstʃər/
now rare = supervestment n./ˈsupərˌvɛstʃər/ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > outerwear > [noun] > article of
overclothc1390
hulling1434
overgarmenta1470
outsides1631
overall1631
supervesture1648
tog1708
supervestment1865
Montenegrin1890
outer1904
1648 W. Montagu Miscellanea Spiritualia ii. ii. 18 Our flesh was but a supervesture or upper Garment to the Son of God.
1868 W. B. Marriott Vestiarium Christianum Introd. ii. p. viii The supervesture..the prevailing form of which was that of a large blanket,..admitted..of the greatest variety in arrangement.
1909 C. K. Staudt Idea of Resurrection in Ante-Nicene Period vi. 56 This act of being clothed upon, with a kind of heavenly supervesture, makes the bodies incorruptible and fit for their heavenly habitation.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [noun] > writing on top of other writing
super-writing1654
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 258 To bring Rasae Tabulae, clean Tables to every Author, is the advice of no small Philosopher. Super-writing (being scribling) maketh neither the old, nor the new legible.
1853 Chambers's Repository 6 29 But he, Pasco, had told deponent that, if the super-writing were carefully removed, and a moderate heat applied to the parchment, the original words would distinctly reappear.
(c)
(i) Anatomy and Zoology. Forming adjectives designating the upper or superior part of a structure or the upper of two parts or structures, and corresponding nouns, as supercerebellar, superpetrosal, etc.
ΚΠ
1889 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. VIII. 238/1 The supercerebellar vein..empties into the main vein near its termination, or even directly into the sinus tentorialis.
1889 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. VIII. 242/1 The superpetrosal sinus starts from the cavernous.
1908 Gray's Anat. (ed. 17) 738 Besides the falcial sinus, it receives the vena magna Galeni and the supercerebellar veins.
1983 Surg. Neurol. 20 251/2 The infratentorial supercerebellar approach was initially considered for attempted removal of the residual tumor.
(ii) † superalbal n. and adj. Obsolete rare (a) n. a part situated in the upper part of the white matter of the brain; (b) adj. situated in this region.
ΚΠ
1889 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. VIII. 239/2 The superalbals..are commonly two small trunks that appear at the outer border of the cœle, opposite the body of the caudate.
1900 W. A. N. Dorland Amer. Illustr. Med. Dict. 653/2 Superalbal, situated in the upper part of the white substance of the brain, as superalbal veins.
superdural n. and adj. /ˌsuːpəˈdjɔːrəl/, /ˌsuːpəˈdʒʊərəl/, /ˌsuːpəˈdʒɔːrəl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdjʊərəl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdjɔːrəl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdʒʊərəl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdʒɔːrəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈdjʊərəl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈdjʊərəl//ˌsuːpəˈdjɔːrəl//ˌsuːpəˈdʒʊərəl//ˌsuːpəˈdʒɔːrəl//ˌsjuːpəˈdjʊərəl//ˌsjuːpəˈdjɔːrəl//ˌsjuːpəˈdʒʊərəl//ˌsjuːpəˈdʒɔːrəl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈd(j)ʊrəl/
rare (a) n. an artery or other structure located in the outer layer of the dura mater; (b) adj. = supradural adj. at supra- prefix 1c(b)./ˌsupərˈd(j)ʊrəl/ΚΠ
1889 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. VIII. 237/1 Superdurals. These appear in part as direct continuations of the preceding [sc. medidural], and then are double.
1970 Bull. Hist. Med. 44 414 William Hunter seemed to feel that the operation should be limited to developing superdural aneurysms.
supermaxilla n. /ˈsjuːpəmakˌsɪlə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəmakˌsɪlə/
, /ˈsuːpəmakˌsɪlə//ˈsjuːpəmakˌsɪlə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌmækˌsɪlə/
= supramaxilla n. at supra- prefix 1c(b)./ˈsupərˌmækˌsɪlə/ΚΠ
1870 S. M. Bradley Man. Compar. Anat. & Physiol. viii. 42 The teeth are placed on..the vomer, the basi-occipital and basi-sphenoid, the hyoidean arches, the super-maxilla, the pharynx, pterygoid, sphenoid, nasal bones, and branchial arches.
1984 Copeia No. 2. 486/1 Lack of a supermaxilla can be accounted for by the vestigial state of the maxilla although it may not have been present in the ancestor of the gars.
2004 U.S. Patent 2004/0152046 A1 1/1 In the supermaxilla the hard palate or the central suture thereof is available for use.
supermaxillary adj. and n. /ˌsjuːpəmakˈsɪl(ə)ri/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəmakˈsɪl(ə)ri/
, /ˌsuːpəmakˈsɪl(ə)ri//ˌsjuːpəmakˈsɪl(ə)ri/U.S. /ˌsupərˈmæksəˌlɛri/
= supramaxillary adj. and n. at supra- prefix 1c(c)./ˌsupərˈmæksəˌlɛri/ΚΠ
1823 E. James Acct. Exped. Pittsburgh to Rocky Mountains I. 337 Head with nine plates above,..intervening on each side between the two posterior plates and the three posterior supermaxillary plates.
1865 Trans. Ethnol. Soc. London 3 415 The breadth at the zygoma seems carried forward into the malar bone, which, with the adjoining part of the supermaxillary, is unusually protuberant.
1961 Copeia No. 2. 220 Fig. 6 shows the supermaxillary and the posterior end of the maxillary.
1988 Copeia No. 1. 76/1 The supermaxillary flap of skin..is not considered to be a barbel.
(d) Anatomy. Forming nouns (esp. in the terminology of B. G. Wilder) denoting a part overlapping another, or formed by such overlapping, as superfissure, supergyre.
ΚΠ
1889 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. VIII. 160/1 Superfissures and subfissures. These terms are employed herein to designate the fissures which result from the formation of supergyres and subgyres.
1918 T. L. Stedman Pract. Med. Dict. (U.S. ed. 5) 956/2 Superfissure, a cerebral fissure or sulcus formed above a convolution by the overlapping of another; supersulcus.
2.
a. Forming adjectives (and related adverbs and nouns) designating things which are higher in quality or degree than what is expressed by the second element.
(a) Prefixed to adjectives.
(i) † super-hirundine adj. Obsolete Apparently an isolated use.† super-prelatical adj. Obsolete† supersolary adj. Obsolete rare† super-Tartarian adj. Obsolete Apparently an isolated use.
superangelic adj. /ˌsjuːpəranˈdʒɛlɪk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəranˈdʒɛlɪk/
, /ˌsuːpəranˈdʒɛlɪk//ˌsjuːpəranˈdʒɛlɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərˌænˈdʒɛlɪk/
/ˌsupərˌænˈdʒɛlɪk/ΚΠ
1692 D. Williams Gospel-truth Stated & Vindicated xi. 100 As if he had a superangelick Nature, which was a sort of a common Soul.
1766 J. Burgh Crito I. iii. 280 His coming into this world, not in his own super-angelic character, but in that of a mortal man.
1864 E. B. Pusey Daniel viii. 470 The super~angelic glory of the Messiah.
1993 D. Cannon Keepers of Garden xiii. 133 For even on the angelic and superangelic levels, plans are made and can be disrupted.
superangelical adj. /ˌsjuːpəranˈdʒɛlᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəranˈdʒɛlᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəranˈdʒɛlᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəranˈdʒɛlᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌænˈdʒɛlək(ə)l/
now rare/ˌsupərˌænˈdʒɛlək(ə)l/ΚΠ
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 927/2 He seameth to shewe a great piece of his profound and deape learninge, in settinge forth the moste incomparable and superangelical order of priesthod.
1674 D. Brevint Saul & Samuel 271 Thus this Superangelical Doctor in the year 1226 ended his daies.
1719 J. Bingham Origines Ecclesiasticæ VI. xv. viii. 900 God hath honoured and adorned your Mouth so many ways, by Angelical Hymns, by Food, not Angelical, but super-angelical, by his own Kisses, and by his own Embraces.
1839 Bible Christian Oct. 291 What has a belief in Christ's nature, whether it be understood to be divine, or super-angelical, or angelical, or human, to do with a virtuous and holy life?
1922 St. Andrew's Cross Dec. 74/1 They sing in divers tongues, yet all make super-angelical harmony, because childhood has not yet lost the intonation of Heaven.
super-artificial adj. /ˌsjuːpərɑːtᵻˈfɪʃl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɑːtᵻˈfɪʃl/
, /ˌsuːpərɑːtᵻˈfɪʃl//ˌsjuːpərɑːtᵻˈfɪʃl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɑrdəˈfɪʃ(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˌɑrdəˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ΚΠ
1613 T. Jackson Eternall Truth Script. i. xiv. §4. 70 It was..rather superartificiall, than naturall and artificiall.
1751 Descr. Cityhouse of Amsterdam 71 Super artificial is the Imagery on the frise of the mantletree.
1880 Trübner's Amer., European & Oriental Lit. Record Dec. 128/2 Not only is the sweet poet of India made answerable for such superartificial productions as the Nalodaya [etc.].
2010 Seattle (Washington) Weekly (Nexis) 15 Sept. The bacon was skinny and limp, but ironically supplied this burger with its best quality: super-artificial smoke flavor.
super-attainable adj. /ˌsjuːpərəˈteɪnəbl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərəˈteɪnəbl/
, /ˌsuːpərəˈteɪnəbl//ˌsjuːpərəˈteɪnəbl/U.S. /ˌsupərəˈteɪnəb(ə)l/
rare/ˌsupərəˈteɪnəb(ə)l/ΚΠ
1901 Edinb. Rev. July 60 Tolstoy pleaded that all great teachers commend the impossible, the super-attainable ideal.
supercanonical adj. /ˌsjuːpəkəˈnɒnᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkəˈnɒnᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəkəˈnɒnᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəkəˈnɒnᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərkəˈnɑnək(ə)l/
/ˌsupərkəˈnɑnək(ə)l/ΚΠ
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Glouc. 360 Some pressed super-Canonical Ceremonies.
1828 W. L. M'Calla Discuss. Christian Baptism I. 285 Mr. Gale's supercanonical book of the fourth century, called Clement's Constitutions, produces this text in support of infant baptism.
1995 Stud. Eng. Lit. 1500–1900 35 180 The single author studies are on the giant, supercanonical figures of Spenser and Milton.
supercarnal adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈkɑːnl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈkɑːnl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈkɑːnl//ˌsjuːpəˈkɑːnl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈkɑrn(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˈkɑrn(ə)l/ΚΠ
1862 J. Llewelyn Davies in Tracts for Priests & People No. 13 17 New relations, the ground of a new super-carnal existence, are revealed to us in Him who loved us.
1895 J. R. Harris Union with God viii. 133 The great supercarnal, supersensual fact that is above observation of history.
2004 L. Parisi Abstract Sex iii. 100 A cold and cruel femininity where sensuality is replaced by a supercarnal sentimentality.
supercausal adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈkɔːzl/, /ˌsupərˈkɑz(ə)l/ [compare post-classical Latin supercausalis (9th cent. in a British source)]
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈkɔːzl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈkɔːzl//ˌsjuːpəˈkɔːzl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈkɔz(ə)l/
, /ˌsupərˈkɔz(ə)l//ˌsupərˈkɑz(ə)l/ΚΠ
1677 T. Gale Court of Gentiles: Pt. IV iv. 302 The..notion of God..as superessential Essence, superdivine Divinitie, supercausal cause.
1816 T. Taylor Six Bks. Proclus II. (Addit. Notes) p. viii/1 Neither therefore, are these things the nature of it, viz. the nothing, the being beyond all things, supercausal subsistence, and the uncoordinated with all things; but these are only ablations of things posterior to it.
2009 Tri-City (Washington) Herald (Nexis) 1 May t6 If the cast, effects and supercausal plotting don't make Sunshine a minor sci-fi classic, the delightfully arrogant astrophysicist DVD commentary might seal the deal.
superchemical adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈkɛmᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈkɛmᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈkɛmᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəˈkɛmᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈkɛmək(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˈkɛmək(ə)l/ΚΠ
1859 H. Tuttle Arcana of Nature ii. v. 92 In this process it would be difficult to determine one point of super-chemical action.
1911 R. K. Duncan Some Chem. Probl. iv. 78 No ‘Life’ figures in this equation; nothing superchemical—nothing hypermechanical.
1998 E. F. Bleiler & R. J. Bleiler Sci.-fiction Gernsback Years 465/1 The cosmic ray currents are creating some sort of cosmic balance and superchemical correction between various parts of the universe.
superdemonic adj. /ˌsuːpədiːˈmɒnɪk/, /ˌsjuːpədᵻˈmɒnɪk/, /ˌsjuːpədiːˈmɒnɪk/, /ˌsupərdiˈmɑnɪk/
Brit. /ˌsuːpədᵻˈmɒnɪk/
, /ˌsuːpədᵻˈmɒnɪk//ˌsuːpədiːˈmɒnɪk//ˌsjuːpədᵻˈmɒnɪk//ˌsjuːpədiːˈmɒnɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərdəˈmɑnɪk/
, /ˌsupərdəˈmɑnɪk//ˌsupərdiˈmɑnɪk/ΚΠ
1874 J. Martineau in Old & New Aug. ii. ii. 214 Demons..driven off only by Messiah with his superdemonic power.
2009 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 15 Mar. ct1 Later, the maitre d'hotel deducted from the tab..our two superdemonic desserts.
super-devilish adj. /ˌsuːpəˈdɛv(ᵻ)lɪʃ/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdɛvl̩ɪʃ/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdɛv(ᵻ)lɪʃ/, /ˌsupərˈdɛv(ə)lɪʃ/ now rare
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈdɛvl̩ɪʃ/
, /ˌsuːpəˈdɛvl̩ɪʃ//ˌsuːpəˈdɛv(ᵻ)lɪʃ//ˌsjuːpəˈdɛvl̩ɪʃ//ˌsjuːpəˈdɛv(ᵻ)lɪʃ/U.S. /ˌsupərˈdɛvl̩ɪʃ/
, /ˌsupərˈdɛvl̩ɪʃ//ˌsupərˈdɛv(ə)lɪʃ/ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1957) III. 242 A strange and super-devilish invention.
1782 J. Brown Compend. View Nat. & Revealed Relig. v. v. 496 Can a man..believe, that the new nature formed by..the Spirit of Christ..is so very superdevilish?
1888 H. W. Blair Temperance Movement xi. 211 I have long felt a great and complacent aversion toward the super-devilish depravity of the brutal fiends who perpetrate railroad horrors for plunder and gain.
1951 L. MacNeice tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust ii. 282 My head's aflame! Liver and heart aflame! A super-devilish element! [Ger. Ein überteuflisch Element!]
superdivine adj. /ˌsjuːpədᵻˈvʌɪn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpədᵻˈvʌɪn/
, /ˌsuːpədᵻˈvʌɪn//ˌsjuːpədᵻˈvʌɪn/U.S. /ˌsupərdəˈvaɪn/
[compare post-classical Latin superdivinus (9th cent. in a British source)] /ˌsupərdəˈvaɪn/ΚΠ
1610 J. Donne Pseudo-martyr vi. 185 Whether they will pleade Diuine Law, that is, places of Scripture, or Sub diuine Law, which is interpretation of Fathers, or super diuine law, which is Decretals of Popes.
1798 M. Nash Ignis Fatuus 39 They both profess to have a singular super-divine commission from God.
1876 L. Stephen Hist. Eng. Thought 18th Cent. I. v. §19. 299 Necessity..belongs to the super-divine sphere—if the phrase may be used.
2009 M. Redfield Rhetoric of Terror ii. v. 87 If the divine ‘inviolable oath’ seems to subordinate the universe and its deity to a strange, superdivine linguistic power, [etc.].
superearthly adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈəːθli/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈəːθli/
, /ˌsuːpərˈəːθli//ˌsjuːpərˈəːθli/U.S. /ˌsupərˈərθli/
/ˌsupərˈərθli/ΚΠ
1821 J. L. Bowles in Pamphleteer 18 233 The building of Pandæmonium is associated with ideas of super-earthly power.
1924 Brit. Weekly 24 Apr. 71/4 His child companion, Manuel, is a figure of almost super-earthly beauty.
2006 New Yorker 5 June 90/3 The first two movies were a celebration of the human body..pushed by superearthly flights of imagination into mythical achievement.
superethical adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈɛθᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈɛθᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpərˈɛθᵻkl//ˌsjuːpərˈɛθᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɛθək(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˈɛθək(ə)l/ΚΠ
a1744 Bolingbroke Authority Matters Relig. vi, in Wks. (1754) IV. 292 Moral theology..contains a super-ethical doctrine, as some grave divines have ridiculously called it.
1863 Amer. Presbyterian & Theol. Rev. Jan. 51 Such a super-ethical elevation would rather be a falling below the ethical.
1913 Contemp. Rev. Oct. 496 The prelude of the superethical Gospel of Humanity.
2000 J. B. Carman in S. Hjelde Man, Meaning, & Myst. 164 The non-ethical or super-ethical conception of the divine, the worship of natural objects, and the belief in many gods all seem wrong to Christians.
superfeminine adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈfɛmᵻnᵻn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfɛmᵻnᵻn/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfɛmᵻnᵻn//ˌsjuːpəˈfɛmᵻnᵻn/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfɛmənən/
/ˌsupərˈfɛmənən/ΚΠ
1833 A. Manning Village Belles I. xv. 116 Neither exact super-feminine perfection, nor degrade your goddess into a flirt.
1920 S. Lewis Main St. xi. 132 Mrs. Dyer was superfeminine in the kimono in which she received Carol.
2000 Redbook Nov. 28 Volunteers preferred the superfeminine woman's face.
super-fit adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈfɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfɪt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfɪt//ˌsjuːpəˈfɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfɪt/
/ˌsupərˈfɪt/ΚΠ
1914 Living Age 17 Oct. 61/2 Experience the delight of being super-fit or ‘feeling fit’.
1930 G. MacMunn Behind Scenes in Many Wars 259 The convalescent became super-fit.
2003 K. Slater & J. Borte Pipe Dreams (2004) ix. 204 Twenty-nine-year-old Mark Occhilupo, after spending a few years sitting on the sofa, was superfit again.
superformicine adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈfɔːmᵻsɪn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfɔːmᵻsɪn/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfɔːmᵻsɪn//ˌsjuːpəˈfɔːmᵻsɪn/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfɔrməs(ə)n/
rare Apparently an isolated use./ˌsupərˈfɔrməs(ə)n/ΚΠ
1917 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 518/2 By superformicine exertions a single small worker at last won a path to the rim at the top.
super-friendly adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈfrɛn(d)li/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfrɛn(d)li/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfrɛn(d)li//ˌsjuːpəˈfrɛn(d)li/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfrɛn(d)li/
/ˌsupərˈfrɛn(d)li/ΚΠ
1885 F. R. Stockton in Atlantic Monthly Jan. 64/2 One act..of what might be termed super-friendly kindness.
1977 D. Morris Manwatching 77 Eventually, if they have to part for another long spell, there will be a Separation Ritual in which the super-friendly signals will once again be displayed.
2006 A. Summers One Train Later viii. 127 We arrive at the party and are greeted by numerous people, all strangers but superfriendly, as people are in these times.
ΚΠ
1834 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus ii. ii, in Fraser's Mag. Feb. 182/2 Swallows..with animated..chirpings, and activity almost super-hirundine.
superhistoric adj. /ˌsjuːpəhɪˈstɒrɪk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəhɪˈstɒrɪk/
, /ˌsuːpəhɪˈstɒrɪk//ˌsjuːpəhɪˈstɒrɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərˌhɪˈstɔrɪk/
/ˌsupərˌhɪˈstɔrɪk/ΚΠ
1858 Dublin Univ. Mag. Dec. 750/1 ‘The Virginians’ being still super-historic and incomplete, we fall back on Mary Powell's ‘Ladies of Bever Hollow’.
1870 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. 1st Ser. 199 Such propriety of costume..as shall satisfy the superhistoric sense, to which..the higher drama appeals.
2003 C. Wulf Educ. Sci. i. 19 Does this not amount to a ‘super historic’ ontological grandeur posited as an invariable rather than understood in its historicity?
superhistorical adj. /ˌsjuːpəhɪˈstɒrᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəhɪˈstɒrᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəhɪˈstɒrᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəhɪˈstɒrᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌhɪˈstɔrək(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˌhɪˈstɔrək(ə)l/ΚΠ
1839 tr. J. Görres in Dublin Rev. Jan. 60 Mysticism, whose super-historical origin [Ger. überhistorischer Ursprung] must be fixed in the Incarnation itself, had now, entering within the limits of time, struck roots within the world of history.
1880 N. Smyth Old Faiths in New Light (1882) v. 175 The creative Spirit that was in Christ is the super~historical and divine principle of Christianity.
2000 R. L. Shinn in A. Hastings et al. Oxf. Compan. Christian Thought 479/2 Like Troeltsch he found no superhistorical vantage point from which to judge religions and assert the superiority of one's own.
superintellectual adj. /ˌsuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃ(ᵿ)l/, /ˌsjuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃʊəl/, /ˌsjuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃ(ᵿ)l/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃʊəl/
, /ˌsuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃʊəl//ˌsuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃ(ᵿ)l//ˌsjuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃʊəl//ˌsjuːpərɪntᵻˈlɛktʃ(ᵿ)l/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɪn(t)əˈlɛk(t)ʃ(əw)əl/
[compare post-classical Latin superintellectualis (13th cent. in a British source)] /ˌsupərˌɪn(t)əˈlɛk(t)ʃ(əw)əl/ΚΠ
1623 S. Purchas Kings Towre 72 Yea, superintellectuall saluation, not a qualitie, but supersubstantiall, God himselfe.
1789 T. Taylor tr. Proclus Elements Theol. in tr. Proclus Philos. & Math. Comm. II. 385 Every god is super-essential, supervital, and super-intellectual.
1840 W. E. Gladstone Church Princ. 76 That primary super-intellectual work.
2003 J. B. Thomas Naked Barbies i. 40 Prechristian cultures also used halos in their imageries to depict supernatural or superintellectual power.
superlegal adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈliːɡl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈliːɡl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈliːɡl//ˌsjuːpəˈliːɡl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈliɡ(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˈliɡ(ə)l/ΚΠ
1648 Moderate No. 19 153 Why did not his Romish Councell..advise him to insist on his said superlegall power? Or, how can a King be Arrested for debt propria persona, or dis-Throned, or executed by Law?
1707 T. Barker Dr. Wells's Let. to Dissenting Parishioner Considered 65 Our Saviour justifies His Disciples in their disregard to these superlegal Washings.
1804 T. Fessenden Theoretic Explan. Sci. Sanctity ii. 46 Being lapsed it was impossible for them to be restored only by the super-legal grace of the sovereign.
1920 H. G. Wells Outl. Hist. 478/2 He was a real monarch, super-legal.
1999 D. H. Rosen Behind Open Door vi. 197 Foreign investors often enjoy superlegal privileges that benefit their operations and profitability.
super-local adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈləʊkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈləʊkl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈləʊkl//ˌsjuːpəˈləʊkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈloʊk(ə)l/
[compare post-classical Latin superlocalis (9th cent. in a British source)] /ˌsupərˈloʊk(ə)l/ΚΠ
1841 J. H. Newman in Tracts for Times No. 90. §8. 61 The doctrine..of a real super~local presence in the Holy Sacrament.
2006 Church Times 14 July 20/4 If super-local episcope meant anything, it was the responsibility for overseeing the Church's teaching, and protecting it from heresy.
superlogical adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈlɒdʒᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈlɒdʒᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈlɒdʒᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəˈlɒdʒᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈlɑdʒək(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˈlɑdʒək(ə)l/ΚΠ
1822 A. Kohlmann Unitarianism Examined II. xiii. 249 It follows, therefore, (such is, according to custom, the super-logical inference of Mr. J. S.) that the same kind of reverence shown to Christ, is not a proof of his having been God.
1891 T. K. Cheyne Origin & Relig. Contents Psalter Introd. p. xxix The imaginative Biblical symbols of superlogical phenomena.
2002 P. J. Schakel Imagination & Arts in C. S. Lewis i. 8 Joy is imaginative in that it makes nonlogical (or superlogical) connections between outer and inner events.
supermaterial adj. /ˌsjuːpəməˈtɪərɪəl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəməˈtɪərɪəl/
, /ˌsuːpəməˈtɪərɪəl//ˌsjuːpəməˈtɪərɪəl/U.S. /ˌsupərməˈtɪriəl/
[compare post-classical Latin supermaterialis (9th cent. in a British source)] /ˌsupərməˈtɪriəl/ΚΠ
1779 J. Berington Immaterialism Delineated 204 The mental effects are not material; for to produce them the Materialist recurs to powers, which he must acknowledge are supermaterial, that is, above the natural level of body.
1866 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law i. 22 To believe in the existence of miracles, we must..believe..in the Supermaterial.
1988 J. B. Russell Prince of Darkness (1992) xiii. 210 In model A, supermaterial entities such as God or the Devil may be active; in model B they are not.
supermathematical adj. /ˌsjuːpəmaθ(ə)ˈmatᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəmaθ(ə)ˈmatᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəmaθ(ə)ˈmatᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəmaθ(ə)ˈmatᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌmæθ(ə)ˈmædək(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˌmæθ(ə)ˈmædək(ə)l/ΚΠ
1588 J. Harvey Discoursiue Probl. conc. Prophesies 51 Altogether supernaturall, super~mathematicall, and true myracles.
1884 Van Nostrand's Engin. Mag. 31 439/2 Nor is this in any way a singular instance of super-mathematical stupidity.
2005 W. Tait Provenance Pure Reason iv. 92 As a matter of fact—not a mathematical fact, as we ordinarily understand it, but a supermathematical fact—there really are no numbers at all.
super-metropolitan adj. /ˌsjuːpəmɛtrəˈpɒlᵻt(ə)n/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəmɛtrəˈpɒlᵻt(ə)n/
, /ˌsuːpəmɛtrəˈpɒlᵻt(ə)n//ˌsjuːpəmɛtrəˈpɒlᵻt(ə)n/U.S. /ˌsupərˌmɛtrəˈpɑlətn/
/ˌsupərˌmɛtrəˈpɑlətn/ΚΠ
1657 J. Goodwin Βασανισται 25 So should the grandure of their authority..have been somewhat more competent..and not so hyper-arch~episcopall, so super-metropolitan.
1855 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity IV. ix. i. 8/2 This included the power of judging on contested elections, degrading bishops, a super-metropolitan power.
2000 S. G. Hall in Cambr. Anc. Hist. XIV. xxiv. 732 Five ancient patriarchates enjoy super-metropolitan powers.
supermoral adj. /ˌsuːpəˈmɒrl̩/, /ˌsjuːpəˈmɒrəl/, /ˌsjuːpəˈmɒrl̩/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈmɒrəl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈmɒrəl//ˌsuːpəˈmɒrl̩//ˌsjuːpəˈmɒrəl//ˌsjuːpəˈmɒrl̩/U.S. /ˌsupərˈmɔrəl/
/ˌsupərˈmɔrəl/ΚΠ
1643 T. Barton Aντιτειχισμα vi. 56 Their obedientiall bowing power they yeeld in a supermorall perfection.
1794 J. Clowes tr. E. Swedenborg Delights of Wisdom conc. Conjugial Love 260 I am super-moral amongst the moral, super-rational amongst the rational.
1889 C. McCarthy Our Distinguished Fellow-citizen vii. 82 Consequently he votes, with a sort of supermoral air, for the best interests of business.
1999 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 28 July a15 Perhaps the Law Society's real struggle is with its notion of lawyers as super-moral beings.
super-paramount adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈparəmaʊnt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈparəmaʊnt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈparəmaʊnt//ˌsjuːpəˈparəmaʊnt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈpɛrəˌmaʊnt/
rare/ˌsupərˈpɛrəˌmaʊnt/ΚΠ
1676 Doctr. of Devils 31 Such as are parallel..and Super-paramount to it.
1984 Afr. Affairs 83 346 The King, the symbol of Empire, was presented as a kind of super paramount chief to whom all Africans owed loyalty.
super-parliamentary adj. /ˌsjuːpəpɑːləˈmɛnt(ə)ri/, /ˌsupərˌpɑrləˈmɛnəri/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəpɑːləˈmɛnt(ə)ri/
, /ˌsuːpəpɑːləˈmɛnt(ə)ri//ˌsjuːpəpɑːləˈmɛnt(ə)ri/U.S. /ˌsupərˌpɑrləˈmɛnt(ə)ri/
, /ˌsupərˌpɑrləˈmɛnt(ə)ri//ˌsupərˌpɑrləˈmɛnəri/ΚΠ
?1649 C. Culpeper Let. 31 Jan. in 17th-cent. Polit. & Financial Papers (1996) 349 Such pre or superparliamentary ordinances muste be acknowledged.
1821 J. Bentham Elements Art of Packing 255 Parliamentary and super-parliamentary lawyer-craft.
2010 Sunday Territorian (Austral.) (Nexis) 21 Mar. 16 Why not have another super-parliamentary committee?
ΚΠ
1645 R. Overton Martin's Eccho 1 The insufferable Arogancy of our Ambitious aspiring Presbytrie, their super-Prelaticall Supremacy, their ravenous blood-thirsty malice against the poore Saints of the most High God.
1677 R. Baxter Naked Popery ii. 35 I have this to say for my Authority in declaring the sense of Puritans, that one or more..who are Prelatical or super-Prelatical, have about 17 years ago..branded me [etc.].
superquadrupedal adj. /ˌsuːpəkwɒdrəˈpiːdl/, /ˌsuːpəkwɒdrəˈpɛdl/, /ˌsjuːpəkwɒˈdruːpᵻdl/, /ˌsjuːpəkwɒdrəˈpiːdl/, /ˌsjuːpəkwɒdrəˈpɛdl/, /ˌsupərˌkwɑˈdrupəd(ə)l/ now rare
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkwɒˈdruːpᵻdl/
, /ˌsuːpəkwɒˈdruːpᵻdl//ˌsuːpəkwɒdrəˈpiːdl//ˌsuːpəkwɒdrəˈpɛdl//ˌsjuːpəkwɒˈdruːpᵻdl//ˌsjuːpəkwɒdrəˈpiːdl//ˌsjuːpəkwɒdrəˈpɛdl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌkwɑdrəˈpɛd(ə)l/
, /ˌsupərˌkwɑdrəˈpɛd(ə)l//ˌsupərˌkwɑˈdrupəd(ə)l/ΚΠ
1849 Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper 27 May 9/3 The horses were being freshened up with hay and water, and coaxed into another super-quadrupedal effort on behalf of the lords of the creation.
1902 Current Hist. & Mod. Culture (U.S.) 12 584/2 He allows them to reason but it is not with a superquadrupedal syllogism.
super-regal adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈriːɡl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈriːɡl/
, /ˌsuːpəˈriːɡl//ˌsjuːpəˈriːɡl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈriɡ(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˈriɡ(ə)l/ΚΠ
1650 E. Gee Vindic. Oath Allegiance 35 An over topping, or super-regall power then in the Parliament, or a super-parliamentary and super-regal power in the people cannot be bottom on that reason.
1723 D. Waterland 2nd Vindic. Christ's Divinity xvi, in Wks. (1823) III. 348 You may consider him as King, and so you may present him with regal worship; or as King of kings, and then it will be super~regal.
1854 Q. Jrnl. Prophecy July 246 National aggrandisement, political power, diplomatic influence, super-regal supremacy..these are the objects on which these northern potentates have set their hearts.
1990 Boundary 2 17 259 The Association insured individual control over property, thereby enabling Twain to imagine the pilot an absolute monarch, or even super-regal authority.
super-sacerdotal adj. /ˌsjuːpəsakəˈdəʊtl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsakəˈdəʊtl/
, /ˌsuːpəsakəˈdəʊtl//ˌsjuːpəsakəˈdəʊtl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌsækərˈdoʊd(ə)l/
now rare/ˌsupərˌsækərˈdoʊd(ə)l/ΚΠ
1857 Nonconformist 6 May 351/2 Polygamy is united with, and originates in, the monstrous pretension to super-sacerdotal powers.
1914 Archit. Rec. Sept. 191 In the center is a figure representing the super-sacerdotal office.
super-scientific adj. /ˌsjuːpəsʌɪənˈtɪfɪk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsʌɪənˈtɪfɪk/
, /ˌsuːpəsʌɪənˈtɪfɪk//ˌsjuːpəsʌɪənˈtɪfɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/
/ˌsupərˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/ΚΠ
1820 S. T. Coleridge Notebk. IV. 4642 Secondly, as the proper language for that which is superscientific, namely, Morality.
1881 Nature 5 May 2/1 It matters not to science what views her individual cultivators may hold on super-scientific questions.
2010 C. Freeman Post-metaphysics & Paradoxical Teachings Jesus iii. 82 For Kierkegaard the super-scientific descriptions of Western metaphysics about the meaning of Being are inadequate currency.
super-seraphical adj. /ˌsjuːpəsᵻˈrafᵻkl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsᵻˈrafᵻkl/
, /ˌsuːpəsᵻˈrafᵻkl//ˌsjuːpəsᵻˈrafᵻkl/U.S. /ˌsupərsəˈræfək(ə)l/
now rare/ˌsupərsəˈræfək(ə)l/ΚΠ
1686 G. Hickes Speculum Beatæ Virginis 21 Her sacred body is endowed with a super~seraphical activity, whereby she can render her self present..to all her votaries.
?1790 G. Dyer Inq. Thirty-nine Articles ii. vi. 96 These sublime mysteries were..the last efforts of superseraphical skill.
1845 Baptist Rec. Dec. 796 You must love your neighbour more than yourself—a transcendentalism of heroical and super-seraphical piety which, I am afraid, will be found all but impracticable.
1930 E. M. Simpson tr. J. Donne Courtier's Libr. 45 The Judæo-Christian Pythagoras, proving the Numbers 99 and 66 to be identical if you hold the leaf upside down, by the super-seraphical [L. super-seraphicum] John Picus.
supersolar adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈsəʊlə/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsəʊlə/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsəʊlə//ˌsjuːpəˈsəʊlə/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsoʊlər/
/ˌsupərˈsoʊlər/ΚΠ
1795 S. Martin Poet. Epist. 20 Shall I burst the bounds Of sense, and tread on supersolar grounds.
1847 R. W. Emerson Poems 144 Sparks of the supersolar blaze.
2004 R. Guiley Encycl. Angels (ed. 2) 169/1 The higher principles, the higher gods, dwell in these supersolar worlds known as the spheres of the stars, as to the spirits of the Ancestors.
ΚΠ
1642 Math. Divine 2 The scituation was not only superlunary, or above the Moone, but also supersolary, or above the Sun.
1696 J. Sergeant Method to Sci. i. x. 97 Its Notion consists in the Application of the Extrinsecal Motion of the Sun to Sublunary (or perhaps in Artists who reach further) to subsolary or supersolary Motions.
ΚΠ
1702 T. Brown et al. Lett. from Dead to Living 263 Since he was got clear of his Super-Tartarian concerns.
super-universal adj. /ˌsjuːpəjuːnᵻˈvəːsl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəjuːnᵻˈvəːsl/
, /ˌsuːpəjuːnᵻˈvəːsl//ˌsjuːpəjuːnᵻˈvəːsl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌjunəˈvərs(ə)l/
/ˌsupərˌjunəˈvərs(ə)l/ΚΠ
1627 J. Donne Serm. Lady Danuers 61 By which, that particular Church must bee Super-Catholike, and Super-vniuersall, aboue all the Churches in the world.
1889 Theosophist Nov. 109 Would you have a super-universal class of outcasts like the wretched Kurumbers?
2007 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News (Nexis) 3 Sept. Then there is the gaggle of remote controls... Of course there are always the super-universal programmable remotes like Logitech's Harmony 1000.
supervisual adj. /ˌsuːpəˈvɪʒʊ(ə)l/, /ˌsjuːpəˈvɪzjʊ(ə)l/, /ˌsjuːpəˈvɪʒʊ(ə)l/, /ˌsupərˈvɪʒəl/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈvɪzjʊ(ə)l/
, /ˌsuːpəˈvɪzjʊ(ə)l//ˌsuːpəˈvɪʒʊ(ə)l//ˌsjuːpəˈvɪzjʊ(ə)l//ˌsjuːpəˈvɪʒʊ(ə)l/U.S. /ˌsupərˈvɪʒ(ə)wəl/
, /ˌsupərˈvɪʒ(ə)wəl//ˌsupərˈvɪʒəl/ΚΠ
1853 J. Bauer tr. H. Klencke & G. Schlesier Lives of Brothers Humboldt (new ed.) i. ix. 147 He was the reformer and teacher of a new chartography for accurate delineation and supervisual description of large territories.
1920 E. O'Shaughnessy Intimate Pages Mexican Hist. iii. 52 Who would not wish to consider at times things supersensual, supervisual, the precious Res Celestia?
2001 Jrnl. Aesthetics & Art Crit. 59 37/2 The ancient Egyptian denotation of the interior section..of objects in representing an extra- or supervisual ontology.
superworldly adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈwəːldli/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈwəːldli/
, /ˌsuːpəˈwəːldli//ˌsjuːpəˈwəːldli/U.S. /ˌsupərˈwər(ə)ldli/
/ˌsupərˈwər(ə)ldli/ΚΠ
1785 A. Seward Let. 27 Oct. (1811) I. 86 Freedoms, not much calculated to the meridian of super~worldly refinement.
1874 J. O. Dykes Relations Kingdom 7 The effort..to attain..super-worldly purity.
1998 P. Karavites Evil, Freedom, & Road to Perfection (1999) i. 43 As a pernicious and superworldly force the devil is as much a manifestation of the religious sense as any other power.
(ii)
superadiabatic adj. /ˌsjuːpədʌɪəˈbatɪk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpədʌɪəˈbatɪk/
, /ˌsuːpədʌɪəˈbatɪk//ˌsjuːpədʌɪəˈbatɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərˌdaɪəˈbædɪk/
Physics and Meteorology designating a temperature gradient in a gas greater than the gradient it would have in an adiabatic expansion during upward motion, esp. (in the atmosphere) a lapse rate greater than that of dry air when it rises and expands adiabatically (viz. greater than about one degree Celsius per 100 metres); involving such a gradient./ˌsupərˌdaɪəˈbædɪk/ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > [adjective] > specific gradient
superadiabatic1914
1914 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 178 552 A sufficient mechanical lift of a saturated layer of air would establish between it and the non-saturated layer above a superadiabatic temperature gradient.
1925 Nature 28 Feb. 301/2 The frequent superadiabatic lapse-rates which occur in the bottom layer of the atmosphere.
1978 Nature 26 Oct. 726/2 The theory of corona formation [on the sun] is not well developed, and the computation of acoustic fluxes is critically dependent on the theory of superadiabatic convection.
2006 P. A. Vesilind & T. D. DiStefano Controlling Environmental Pollution ix. 323 We then conclude that once a parcel of air under superadiabatic conditions is displaced upward, it keeps right on going.
super-Catholic adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈkaθ(ə)lɪk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈkaθ(ə)lɪk/
, /ˌsuːpəˈkaθ(ə)lɪk//ˌsjuːpəˈkaθ(ə)lɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərˈkæθ(ə)lɪk/
†(a) (of a church) having jurisdiction over all churches (obsolete rare); (b) (of a person, country, etc.) devoutly adhering to the Roman Catholic faith./ˌsupərˈkæθ(ə)lɪk/ΚΠ
1627 J. Donne Serm. Lady Danuers 61 By which, that particular Church must bee Super-Catholike, and Super-vniuersall, aboue all the Churches in the world.
1869 N.Y. Musical Gaz. Dec. 9/3 In Catholic France, in super-Catholic Italy, in semi-Protestant Germany, it is always the same; the soprano and alto parts are invariably given to boys.
1994 South Bend (Indiana) Tribune (Nexis) 5 June e10 It helps that Jack has the support of Nina's super-Catholic family. Her mother, Marie, prays for them to get married.
superelementary adj. /ˌsjuːpərɛlᵻˈmɛnt(ə)ri/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɛlᵻˈmɛnt(ə)ri/
, /ˌsuːpərɛlᵻˈmɛnt(ə)ri//ˌsjuːpərɛlᵻˈmɛnt(ə)ri/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɛləˈmɛnt(ə)ri/
that transcends the four elements; existing on a higher plane; non-material./ˌsupərˌɛləˈmɛnt(ə)ri/ΚΠ
1607 T. Walkington Optick Glasse 4 Those..who..præfer..the regard of the body before the welfare of the Super-elementary soule.
1721 R. Bradley tr. G. A. Agricola Philos. Treat. Husbandry i. iii. iii. 174 Those who ascribe to Trees an occult substantial Form, which is a superelementary, or an immaterial Being.
1958 W. Pagel Paracelsus 50 By means of his astral body, man communicates with the super-elementary world of the ‘astra’.
supersecular adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈsɛkjᵿlə/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsɛkjᵿlə/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsɛkjᵿlə//ˌsjuːpəˈsɛkjᵿlə/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsɛkjələr/
(a) having a spiritual character (now rare); (b) highly secular in character./ˌsupərˈsɛkjələr/ΚΠ
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 302 Let us celebrate this feast,..not in a worldly but supersecular manner.
1883 N. Amer. Rev. July 89 Are we to understand that those remaining outside are the supersecular elect, awaiting the revelation of some new principle of spiritual salvation more suitable to their superior position?
2004 Observer (Nexis) 12 Dec. 25 One year, I ignored the 25th and sent super-secular New Year cards on Boxing Day.
(b) Prefixed to nouns, forming adjectives in the same sense as sense 2a(a), as supergraduate, superseaman, etc. See also superstandard adj.
ΚΠ
1850 Standard 28 Dec. The interest of 6000l. to be set apart..for students who shall excel in..systematic theology, Hebrew, and composition of sermons during the supergraduate course.
1854 G. Melly School Experiences of Fag xvi. 226 They stigmatized our almost super-schoolboy virtue as humbug.
1898 Cent. Mag. July 371 After almost superseaman efforts, they reached the vessel.
1944 J. S. Bain Econ. Pacific Coast Petroleum Industry I. iii. 62 These periods of super-quota production cannot be the basis of inferences concerning the quota.
2009 R. Seifer in J. B. Benson & M. M. Haith Dis. & Disorders Infancy & Early Childhood 371/2 Fish..may enter into the behavioral teratology equation when it contains super-threshold levels of environmental contaminants.
(c) Prefixed to adjectives (and related nouns) derived from the names of persons, as superaristotelical, super-Erastian, superplatonical, etc.
ΚΠ
1538 D. Lindsay Complaynte & Test. Popiniay sig. Av I had ingyne angelicall with sapience super salomonicall.
1588 J. Harvey Discoursiue Probl. conc. Prophesies 92 Anie such Superplatonicall Intelligence, or Superaristotelicall intendiment.
1651 R. Watson Ακολουθος: Second Faire Warning ii. 28 Your hypercriticizing upon his thoughts (while the spirit of divination comes upon you) makes his Lordship no Super-Erastian in his doctrines.
1707 G. Hickes Two Treat. ii. ii. 268 The Super-Erastians, Hobbes, Selden, and other such Writers.
1855 Jrnl. Sacred Lit. Oct. 127 Not only the Super-Augustinians, but Augustine himself, require to be convicted of that subtle and evasive mode of explanation.
1880 C. P. Krauth in J. B. Reimensnyder Doom Eternal Introd. p. xiv To live the life of the senses here, and to enter on eternal raptures hereafter, would, indeed, be a super-Epicurean construction of the two lives.
1910 O. Levy in A. M. Ludovici Nietzsche Pref. p. ix A wounded lion may still have more strength than all the fussy, political, rationalistic, agnostic, non-conformist, Nietzschean and super-Nietzschean mice put together.
1948 Bull. Atomic Scientists July 204/3 The Draft Constitution of the Committee is not presented as..a super-Platonic Republic of the World.
2007 A. Warminski in M. Redfield Legacies of Paul de Man ii. 68 The conclusions of de Man's reading of Heidegger..prohibit such a ‘super-Heideggerian’ ontologization of poetic form.
(d) Prefixed to adverbs, as superadequately, superartificially, supercathedrically, superdiabolically, etc.
ΚΠ
1588 J. Harvey Discoursiue Probl. conc. Prophesies 35 Either supernaturally inspired, or superartificially instructed.
1782 J. Brown Compend. View Nat. & Revealed Relig. v. ii. 411 So superdiabolically wicked, as to sin because experienced grace doth abound?
1830 Fraser's Mag. 2 422 The manufacturers affirm that agriculture..is superadequately, and therefore unfairly protected.
1858 Athenæum 24 Apr. 534/3 His immaculate figures are straw-stuffed monsters, with dolls' wax heads and stippled skin, loathsomely perfect, and super-angelically pure.
1869 E. W. Benson Let. 31 Mar. in A. C. Benson Life of E. W. Benson (1899) I. vii. 262 Lincoln Cathedral (with its long ridge super-cathedrically long..) is most grandest.
1906 G. B. Foster Finality Christian Relig. vii. 322 Ideas as emanations of the Absolute are incorporated in history, geniuses are super-historically fructified.
1994 R. West Progressive Constitutionalism vii. 173 It must be a constitutionally and hence super-morally ‘better thing’ to restrain our desires to do the (merely) politically right thing.
(e) Prefixed to nouns. See supernationalism n., supernationalist adj., supernationality n., super-realism n., super-realist n., superreality n.
b. Forming nouns denoting something which surpasses in degree or quality that which is expressed by the second element.In some cases this use also has the implication of, or is difficult to distinguish from, sense 2c(c).
(a) Prefixed to a (common or proper) noun, as superchrist, superseptuagenarian, etc.
ΚΠ
1850 Fraser's Mag. 42 479 The adhesion of one noble lord to the Italian Superchrist.
1915 Observer 10 Oct. 7/3 As a super-septuagenarian I am debarred from active participation.
1917 C. Grahame-White & H. Harper Air Power i. xxiii. 42 It may happen in the future that a super-Napoleon will arise.
1955 Baseball Digest June 63/2 Executives who have suffered through financial bargaining with him eye Clint as more of a super-Shylock than a showboat.
2011 Chester Chron. (Nexis) 24 Mar. 42 While the mass of ordinary people are seeing their living standards decline, more and more money is falling into the hands of a few super billionaires.
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(b) Music. Designating a note next above some principal note, as superdominant n., supertonic n. and adj.
(c) Biology. In taxonomic classification, denoting a group or division ranked next above that denoted by the second element, or including a number of such elements.
superorder n. /ˈsjuːpərˌɔːdə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpərˌɔːdə/
, /ˈsuːpərˌɔːdə//ˈsjuːpərˌɔːdə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɔrdər/
/ˈsupərˌɔrdər/ΚΠ
1872 T. Gill in Proc. 20th Meeting Amer. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 293 In order to meet the exigencies of a taxonomic valuation of groups, the terms superorder and superfamily are introduced.
1899 G. H. Carpenter Insects iv. 164 Various groupings of these orders into larger divisions (‘super-orders’ or ‘sub-classes’) have been proposed.
1971 J. Stidworthy Snakes of World 4 Lizards and snakes are usually classified together in the order (or superorder) Squamata.
2006 K. D. Rose Beginning Age Mammals viii. 119 The order Carnivora and the extinct order Creodonta include the most carnivorously adapted placental mammals, and they have been widely considered to be sister taxa, within the superorder Ferae.
superphylum n. /ˈsjuːpəˌfʌɪləm/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌfʌɪləm/
, /ˈsuːpəˌfʌɪləm//ˈsjuːpəˌfʌɪləm/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfaɪləm/
/ˈsupərˌfaɪləm/ΚΠ
1913 Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 1912 25 67 Superphylum AAA. Gymnospermæ.
1940 G. S. Carter Gen. Zool. Invertebr. xxiii. 476 All the metazoan phyla except the cœlenterates..fall into one or other of two large divisions which we may call superphyla.
1993 E. N. K. Clarkson Invertebr. Palaeontol. & Evol. (ed. 3) iii. 64/1 Within the deuterostomes a separate ‘lophophorate’ superphylum can be distinguished, including the Brachiopoda and Bryozoa, and the small ‘worms’ known as Phoronida.
2006 Nature 16 Nov. 246/1 Sea urchins, like humans, are members of the superphylum of deuterostomes.
supersuborder n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsʌbɔːdə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsʌbɔːdə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsʌbɔːdə//ˈsjuːpəˌsʌbɔːdə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsəbˌɔrdər/
/ˈsupərˌsəbˌɔrdər/ΚΠ
1901 R. W. Shufeldt in Jrnl. Anat. & Physiol. 35 390 In my provisional classification of the group or class Aves, the Penguins occupy the following place in the scheme, viz.:— Supersuborder III.:—Aptenodytiformes.
1998 E. N. K. Clarkson Invertebr. Palaeontol. & Evol. (ed. 4) v. 119 Order Rugosa... Supersuborder Cystiphyllida.
(d) Designating a thing of the same class as that denoted by the second element but including more than one such thing and having a higher order of complexity.
supermolecule n. /ˈsjuːpəˌmɒlᵻkjuːl/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌmɒlᵻkjuːl/
, /ˈsuːpəˌmɒlᵻkjuːl//ˈsjuːpəˌmɒlᵻkjuːl/U.S. /ˈsupərˌmɑləˌkjul/
Chemistry a group of molecules which exhibits some of the properties or behaviour of an individual molecule./ˈsupərˌmɑləˌkjul/ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > atomic chemistry > [noun] > molecules > other molecules
supermolecule1834
open chain1880
excimer1960
exciplex1966
superatom1972
1834 W. Prout Chem., Meteorol. & Function Digestion i. iv. 127 We suppose, that the two molecules of carbon..are associated together into one symmetrical super-molecule.
1930 J. H. Jeans Universe around Us (ed. 2) iii. 159 We may take a few grains of very fine powder, powdered gamboge or lycopodium seed, for instance, and let these play the part of super-molecules amongst the ordinary molecules of a gas or liquid.
2004 Nature 20 May 257/4 Solute and solvent act as a supermolecule, defining the reaction rate and, possibly, also the reaction mechanism.
superorganism n. /ˈsuːpərˌɔːɡn̩ɪz(ə)m/, /ˈsjuːpərˌɔːɡənɪz(ə)m/, /ˈsjuːpərˌɔːɡn̩ɪz(ə)m/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpərˌɔːɡənɪz(ə)m/
, /ˈsuːpərˌɔːɡənɪz(ə)m//ˈsuːpərˌɔːɡn̩ɪz(ə)m//ˈsjuːpərˌɔːɡənɪz(ə)m//ˈsjuːpərˌɔːɡn̩ɪz(ə)m/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɔrɡəˌnɪzəm/
chiefly Biology a group or association of organisms which behaves in some respect like a single organism; a complex system consisting of a large number of organisms which itself behaves as if it were an organic whole, as human society, an ecosystem, etc.Reported earlier use by James Hutton has not been verified, though he outlined the concept in 1785 (in a paper published in 1788: see Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. 1 216)./ˈsupərˌɔrɡəˌnɪzəm/ΚΠ
1878 W. E. Hearn Aryan Househ. xiii. 296 Superorganisms have their perils not less than the organisms of which they are composed.
a1899 D. G. Brinton Basis Social Relations (1902) i. ii. 39 Many writers..have spoken of the social unit, the group or the nation, as an ‘organism’. Some have further defined it as a ‘super-organism’.
1971 E. O. Wilson Insect Societies (1972) i. 1/2 The giant of all such ‘superorganisms’ is a colony of the African driver ant.
2006 D. H. Erwin Extinction v. 115 This view of reefs as tightly connected and even fragile superorganisms gains support from claims that reefs are one of the first ecosystems to disappear during mass extinctions.
superset n. /ˈsjuːpəsɛt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəsɛt/
, /ˈsuːpəsɛt//ˈsjuːpəsɛt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɛt/
Mathematics and Logic a set (set n.2 10c) which includes another set or sets; a set of which a given set is a subset, a superordinate set./ˈsupərˌsɛt/ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > numerical arrangement > [noun] > set > in abstract algebra
coset1910
superset1917
neighbourhood1934
orbit1939
support1952
the mind > language > linguistics > [noun] > linguistic category or set
form-class1905
category1933
superset1970
1917 Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 24 124 For two sets E1 and E2 we denote by E1 + E2 their least common superset.
1970 Psychonomic Sci. 21 iv. 235/3 There is no predetermined hierarchy of supersets and subsets.
1976 J. S. Gruber Lexical Struct. Syntax & Semantics ii. ii. 278 In this case we cannot allow the derived tree to be a subset of that in the lexical environment. The only alternative is to require that the derived tree be a superset of that in the lexical environment.
2008 J. M. Chambers Software Data Anal. ix. 346 The idea can be related to the concept of subsets and supersets in mathematics.
supersystem n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsɪstᵻm/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsɪstᵻm/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsɪstᵻm//ˈsjuːpəˌsɪstᵻm/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɪstəm/
a system which includes or encompasses more than one subsidiary system./ˈsupərˌsɪstəm/ΚΠ
1845 Monthly Jrnl. Med. Sci. Aug. 608 The first design in the animal economy appears to be a retardation of the generative or super-system of parts.
1940 M. M. Bryant & J. R. Aiken Psychol. of Eng. ii. 8 ‘Universal grammar’, a norm or super-system which will comprehend all the various local systems.
2005 M. Bjornerud Reading Rocks i. 7 Earth is a supersystem of countless smaller, interconnected systems involving rock, water, air, and life.
(e) Geometry. In geometry of more than three dimensions, designating a locus or figure having one more dimension than that denoted by the simple word, as supercurve, supersurface. Cf. supercube n., supersolid n. 2.The more usual prefix in this sense is hyper- (hyper- prefix 1c(b)).
ΚΠ
1873 A. Cayley in Q. Jrnl. Pure & Appl. Math. 12 176 In 5 dimensional geometry we have: space, surface, subsurface, supercurve, curve, and point-system, according as we have between the six coordinates 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 equations: and so when the equations are linear, we have: space, plane, subplane, superline, line, and point.
2007 A. Rogers Supermanifolds vi. 80 There exists a unique super curve based at a given point integral to a given odd vector field.
2009 X. Lai et al. in W. Yu et al. Proc. 6th Internat. Symp. Neural Networks I. 637 The surface of the MSE is a multidimensional super-surface.
(f) Prefixed to the name of a person, forming a verb with the sense ‘to excel, surpass, or outdo (the person named) in his or her characteristic quality or action’. Cf. sense 2b(a), out- prefix 4c(b).† supercaesar v. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1846 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. in Wks. I. 30/1 [James I] Even Cæsars are supercæsared by their tenants of the Vatican.
c. Forming nouns denoting a person or thing of a higher status, superior rank, or greater level of authority than what is expressed by the second element.
(a) Prefixed to the names of officials or people in authority, or to corresponding offices or functions, as super-arbiter, superdoctor, super-minister, superquaestor, supersovereign, etc.
ΚΠ
1625 J. Donne First Serm. King Charles 38 Where there is an inducing of a super-Soueraigne, and a super-Supremacie,..this is..an vndermining, a destroying of Foundations.
1673 H. Stubbe Further Iustification War against Netherlands To Rdr. 13 To decide emergent differences a new expedient of Arbiters and Super-arbiters was found out.
1675 T. Tully Let. to R. Baxter 30 He had need to have a very competent measure of abilities himselfe, who is to give his verdict of anothers, even so farr as to make him his super-Doctor of the Chaire.
1710 D. Manley Mem. Europe II. 30 As long as Cajus Emilius is Super-Questor.
1762 P. Murdoch tr. A. F. Büsching New Syst. Geogr. I. 109 He..ordered that a super-inspector and super-administrator..should be elected.
1821 Champion 20 Oct. 661/1 The super-sovereignty of corporation faction was to be again asserted by its new organ.
1868 Punch 28 Nov. 226/1 A sub-King and a super-King cannot, with any congruity, be imagined smelling at the same rose.
1919 Hist. Outlook Jan. 17/2 Strong efforts have been made to bring about a federal union, with a super-parliament and a super-ministry for imperial affairs.
1946 Nature 24 Aug. 247/2 What the Haldane Report recommended, however, was, not placing responsible ministers under a super-minister, but the consolidation or grouping of departments into a small number of super-ministries with one responsible minister for each.
1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 25 Nov. 5/3 Liberal leader Robert Nixon also pledged to end the three super-ministries if his party were elected.
2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 29 Nov. 27 I do not believe..that the EU Reform Treaty makes no provision for the creation of a European ‘super-president’.
(b) Prefixed to nouns (and related adjectives) of action, state, or condition.
(i) In rare and ad-hoc combinations, as supercanonization, supercomprehension, superdivision, superproportion, supertruth, etc.
ΚΠ
a1620 M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) ii. x. §3. 304 He is..a Super-good, a Super-truth, a Super-one,..as surpassing all other Bonitie, and Veritie, and Vnitie.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1956) VIII. 312 This super-canonization, (for, it was not of a Saint, but of a God).
1785 Theologico-controversistical Conf. at Hague II. xiii. 197 I have thirty assistants,..which demand a superproportion of wages.
1838 F. Trollope Vienna & Austrians II. lviii. 281 In explaining to you this sub or rather super division of parties, [etc.].
1866 Catholic World Dec. 296/1 Second causes determined of necessity to produce certain effects in his supercomprehension of cause.
a1978 O. K. Bouwsma Toward New Sensibility (1982) 113 If we understand what people say and write..and people understand us, do we still have need of some superunderstanding?
1999 Ambio 28 199/1 The remaining solution lies in a strategy of super-agglomeration in eastern China with several hundred large, medium, and small cities.
(ii)
superpriority n. /ˈsuːpəprʌɪˌɒrᵻti/, /ˌsjuːpəprʌɪˈɒrᵻti/, /ˈsjuːpəprʌɪˌɒrᵻti/, /ˈsupərˌpraɪˌɔrədi/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəprʌɪˈɒrᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpəprʌɪˈɒrᵻti//ˈsuːpəprʌɪˌɒrᵻti//ˌsjuːpəprʌɪˈɒrᵻti//ˈsjuːpəprʌɪˌɒrᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərˌpraɪˈɔrədi/
, /ˌsupərˌpraɪˈɔrədi//ˈsupərˌpraɪˌɔrədi/ΚΠ
1917 W. S. Churchill Let. 19 Aug. in M. Gilbert W. S. Churchill (1977) IV. Compan. i. 141 At present the Admiralty claim a super priority upon all supplies.
1952 Times 30 June 6/7 Lord De L'Isle and Dudley, V.C...announced on June 7 that the R.A.F. was to be equipped with the GA5 as an all-weather fighter and that it would have ‘superpriority’.
2005 Winston-Salem (N. Carolina) Jrnl. (Nexis) 8 Feb. d1 The government enjoys a ‘superpriority status’ as a creditor.
super-quality adj. and n. /ˈsuːpəkwɒlᵻti/, /ˌsjuːpəˈkwɒlᵻti/, /ˈsjuːpəkwɒlᵻti/, /ˌsupərˈkwɑlədi/, /ˈsupərˌkwɔlədi/, /ˈsupərˌkwɑlədi/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈkwɒlᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpəˈkwɒlᵻti//ˈsuːpəkwɒlᵻti//ˌsjuːpəˈkwɒlᵻti//ˈsjuːpəkwɒlᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərˈkwɔlədi/
, /ˌsupərˈkwɔlədi//ˌsupərˈkwɑlədi//ˈsupərˌkwɔlədi//ˈsupərˌkwɑlədi/ΚΠ
1849 Zanesville (Ohio) Courier 10 July 4/5 (advt.) The Ladies of Zanesville will find the following goods... Super quality plaid muslins.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xii. [Cyclops] 304 His superb highclass vocalism, which by its superquality greatly enhanced his already international reputation.
2009 Denver Post (Nexis) 28 Jan. b10 The switch—whenever it comes—will mean that Americans can start watching the for-free channels in the new super-quality format.
(c) Prefixed to nouns (and related adjectives) denoting a person, animal, or thing which markedly surpasses others of its class. [In later use sometimes after superman n.]
(i)
super-achiever n. /ˈsjuːpərəˌtʃiːvə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpərəˌtʃiːvə/
, /ˈsuːpərəˌtʃiːvə//ˈsjuːpərəˌtʃiːvə/U.S. /ˈsupərəˌtʃivər/
/ˈsupərəˌtʃivər/ΚΠ
1942 High School Jrnl. 25 182 Proper articulation of high-school and college subjects for super-achievers.
1990 Vogue Sept. 144/1 He is..a representative eighties super-achiever: intelligent, presentable, focused and..at his best working within the established conventions.
2002 Houston Chron. (Nexis) 27 Nov. a30 More than 5,000 educators and experts..who work with high-IQ kids and young super achievers came to Houston for the annual event.
superbaby n. /ˈsjuːpəˌbeɪbi/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌbeɪbi/
, /ˈsuːpəˌbeɪbi//ˈsjuːpəˌbeɪbi/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbeɪbi/
/ˈsupərˌbeɪbi/ΚΠ
1903 Spectator 21 Nov. (Special Literary Suppl.) 840/2 Only thus..can be evolved those necessary superbabies which, growing up into supermen, have in their hands the remodelling of society.
1943 Washington Post 14 Nov. iv. 5/5 Now he is 13 months old and the neighbors call him Superbaby. Twice a day I load three neighbor children in his wagon and he pushes them six to eight blocks.
2004 K. Leman First-time Mom ix. 176 The tendency for first-time parents is also to try to create a superbaby or supertoddler. You enroll your child in tumbling, dance class, play groups and other activities.
superbank n. /ˈsjuːpəbaŋk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbaŋk/
, /ˈsuːpəbaŋk//ˈsjuːpəbaŋk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbæŋk/
/ˈsupərˌbæŋk/ΚΠ
1914 Times of India 18 May 4/6 (heading) World's super-bank.
1972 Jrnl. Amer. Hist. 59 609 By giving all central banks a veto on BIS activity within their respective countries, the Americans hoped to stave off fears that BIS was a dangerous ‘super-bank’.
2005 T. Hamada in J. Robertson Compan. Anthropol. Japan ix. 138 In the early 2000s, Fuji Bank, Industrial Bank of Japan, and Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank fused into a trillion-dollar superbank named Mizuho.
superblock n. /ˈsjuːpəblɒk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəblɒk/
, /ˈsuːpəblɒk//ˈsjuːpəblɒk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌblɑk/
/ˈsupərˌblɑk/ΚΠ
1907 Nelson's Encycl. III. 150/1 In the great steel city in the Urals, homes for 25,000 are being built in super-blocks of apartment houses, with liberal open spacing and communal features.
1975 New Society 14 Aug. 375/3 A whole superblock in front of the museum, including many publishers offices and landmarks.., would have gone.
2003 New Yorker 10 Mar. 78/3 Foster's towers were set on a superblock not unlike the site of the original twin towers.
superboss n. /ˈsjuːpəbɒs/, /ˈsupərˌbɑs/
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbɒs/
, /ˈsuːpəbɒs//ˈsjuːpəbɒs/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbɔs/
, /ˈsupərˌbɔs//ˈsupərˌbɑs/ΚΠ
1912 Mansfield (Ohio) News 14 June 6/3 Contractor Bill Flinn..has sped to Chicago to fight and foil those sons of Belial the ‘bosses’ who dare to resist the superboss.
1977 Listener 12 May 608/2 The man..he most admires in Italian public life today, the Fiat superboss.
2001 Sun 27 Jan. (Football section) 2/4 The non-League superboss has chalked up an incredible seven League scalps in the Cup.
superbrute n. /ˈsjuːpəbruːt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbruːt/
, /ˈsuːpəbruːt//ˈsjuːpəbruːt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbrut/
/ˈsupərˌbrut/ΚΠ
1911 E. Underhill Mysticism i. vi. 176 As the angel to the man, so was the dragon to the world of beasts; a creature of splendour and terror, a super-brute.
2003 Orange County (Calif.) Reg. (Nexis) 20 June Brittle plotting, numb emotions and iffy special effects stunt Ang Lee's take on the beloved Marvel Comic superbrute [i.e. the Incredible Hulk].
supercasino n. /ˈsjuːpəkəˌsiːnəʊ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkəˌsiːnəʊ/
, /ˈsuːpəkəˌsiːnəʊ//ˈsjuːpəkəˌsiːnəʊ/U.S. /ˈsupərkəˌsinoʊ/
/ˈsupərkəˌsinoʊ/ΚΠ
1926 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 20 Nov. 8/8 On the beach at Nice, France, will be constructed a supercasino de luxe, the cost of which will be $1,000,000.
1981 Financial Times 1 Apr. 13/1 MacMillan's Danses Concertantes..has been given a new..lease of life in Georgiadis' super-casino redressing, with its Claes Oldenberg furniture and its air of sleek worldliness.
2004 S. Marg Las Vegas Weddings iii. 65 In June 1990 the Excalibur was the next supercasino to open on the Strip. It had a thousand more rooms than the Mirage.
superchef n. /ˈsjuːpəʃɛf/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəʃɛf/
, /ˈsuːpəʃɛf//ˈsjuːpəʃɛf/U.S. /ˈsupərˌʃɛf/
/ˈsupərˌʃɛf/ΚΠ
1912 Druggists Circular Sept. 513/2 Down at the old Planters' Hotel there presides over the kitchen one of those rare super-chefs.
1982 N.Y. Times 27 Oct. c1/2 Mr. Daguin seems comfortable in the role of ‘superchef’, following the path led by such fellow superstars as Paul Bocuse and Michel Guérard.
2009 W. Grimes Appetite City xv. 303 The 1990s and the first decade of the new millennium became the era of the entrepreneurial superchef.
super-cinema n. /ˈsuːpəˌsɪnᵻmɑː/, /ˈsjuːpəˌsɪnᵻmə/, /ˈsjuːpəˌsɪnᵻmɑː/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsɪnᵻmə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsɪnᵻmə//ˈsuːpəˌsɪnᵻmɑː//ˈsjuːpəˌsɪnᵻmə//ˈsjuːpəˌsɪnᵻmɑː/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɪnəmə/
/ˈsupərˌsɪnəmə/ΚΠ
1914 Daily Mail 30 July 1 B/2 (advt.) Pavilion Marble Arch the super cinema. Now showing..Carpentier v. Gunboat Smith and entire change of programme.
1955 Times 9 May 3/1 One of Madrid's super-cinemas, the Coliseum.
2002 Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 9 Mar. e3 No one was surprised when ‘A Walk to Remember’..drew flocks of teenage girls to the suburban super-cinemas that circle America's biggest cities.
supercity n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsɪti/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsɪti/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsɪti//ˈsjuːpəˌsɪti/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɪdi/
/ˈsupərˌsɪdi/ΚΠ
1910 Pittsburgh Surv. in Philanthropy & Public Opinion (Survey Associates, Charity Organization Soc. N.Y.) III. 69 We can only speculate as to the results which would accrue to any one city, were it able to call to its service..men and women..each of whom would be commissioned to map out the way to bring this super-city abreast of the foremost.
1958 A. Toynbee East to West 103 You find yourself interned in one of the standardized super-cities of the modern world.
2000 Times 10 Nov. ii. 34/1 The year is 2031 and Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara have merged into San Angeles, a supercity where violence has been eradicated totally.
super-critic n. /ˈsjuːpəˌkrɪtɪk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌkrɪtɪk/
, /ˈsuːpəˌkrɪtɪk//ˈsjuːpəˌkrɪtɪk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkrɪdɪk/
/ˈsupərˌkrɪdɪk/ΚΠ
1822 Yorks. Observer 23 Nov. 32/1 ‘Q’ appears to be one of those super-Critics who imagines that an Editor of a Weekly Journal should be as logical as a writer on Philosophy.
1903 Westm. Gaz. 19 Aug. 2/1 The ideas which the super-dramatist would convey to a super-critic.
2001 Grocer (Nexis) 20 Jan. 20 But surely even those self appointed super-critics will be hard pressed to be snide about the latest trading statement from Britain's top grocer.
supercrook n. /ˈsjuːpəkrʊk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkrʊk/
, /ˈsuːpəkrʊk//ˈsjuːpəkrʊk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkrʊk/
/ˈsupərˌkrʊk/ΚΠ
1914 W. Martyn Under Cover ii. 24 I am now probably pursued by a half dozen of the super-crooks of high class fiction.
1979 Daily Mail 29 Jan. 6/3 The other gel was a super-crook.
2005 Evening Times (Glasgow) (Nexis) 14 Mar. 10 They are a God-send for the identity thieves—the supercrooks of the decade, we're warned.
super-dramatist n. /ˌsuːpəˈdramətɪst/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdrɑːmətɪst/, /ˌsjuːpəˈdramətɪst/, /ˌsupərˈdræmədəst/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈdrɑːmətɪst/
, /ˌsuːpəˈdrɑːmətɪst//ˌsuːpəˈdramətɪst//ˌsjuːpəˈdrɑːmətɪst//ˌsjuːpəˈdramətɪst/U.S. /ˌsupərˈdrɑmədəst/
, /ˌsupərˈdrɑmədəst//ˌsupərˈdræmədəst/ΚΠ
1903 Westm. Gaz. 19 Aug. 2/1 The ideas which the super-dramatist would convey to a super-critic.
1971 Contemp. Lit. 12 366 His violation of the rules is thus invariably seen as the manifestation of a transcendent disdain of a super-dramatist for such pedestrian matters as conclusions.
supergod n. /ˈsjuːpəɡɒd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəɡɒd/
, /ˈsuːpəɡɒd//ˈsjuːpəɡɒd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɡɑd/
/ˈsupərˌɡɑd/ΚΠ
1876 C. B. Peckham Gospel of Kingdom II. xiv. 23 So Spencer, Tyndall, others too unfold From this Sun-centre of the manifold, Not leaving much for super-God to do, So much the Sun is chiefest to the view.
1969 Guardian 9 Nov. 34/6 It does include, in one of his many Brontëan guises, Charlotte's super-god, the Duke of Wellington.
2011 J. J. Kripal Mutants & Mystics ii. 114 Issue #48 also reintroduced the Watcher, who now appears in order to warn the planet of an approaching supergod named Galactus.
supergoddess n. /ˈsuːpəˌɡɒdɛs/, /ˈsjuːpəˌɡɒdᵻs/, /ˈsjuːpəˌɡɒdɛs/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌɡɒdᵻs/
, /ˈsuːpəˌɡɒdᵻs//ˈsuːpəˌɡɒdɛs//ˈsjuːpəˌɡɒdᵻs//ˈsjuːpəˌɡɒdɛs/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɡɑdəs/
/ˈsupərˌɡɑdəs/ΚΠ
1911 Contemp. Rev. June (Lit. Suppl.) 3 One is almost afraid to laugh when Spenser treats Elizabeth as a super-goddess.
2002 Scotsman (Nexis) 5 Mar. 6 A gigantic poster of a sickeningly toned supergoddess adorns the wall, with the implication that she got her figure exclusively from BodyStep.
super-journalist n. /ˈsuːpəˌdʒəːnl̩ɪst/, /ˈsjuːpəˌdʒəːnəlɪst/, /ˈsjuːpəˌdʒəːnl̩ɪst/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌdʒəːnəlɪst/
, /ˈsuːpəˌdʒəːnəlɪst//ˈsuːpəˌdʒəːnl̩ɪst//ˈsjuːpəˌdʒəːnəlɪst//ˈsjuːpəˌdʒəːnl̩ɪst/U.S. /ˈsupərˌdʒərnl̩əst/
/ˈsupərˌdʒərnl̩əst/ΚΠ
1916 Nation 13 May 184/1 His position in Russia was rather that of a super-journalist and prophet, who was read largely for the sake of his strangely assorted opinions.
1976 Listener 6 May 554/1 The superjournalists have evidently conquered the supermarket, for the rise of Mr Bob Woodward and Mr Carl Bernstein is now being presented as almost as spectacular a saga as the fall of President Nixon.
2007 Weekend Austral. (Nexis) 18 Aug. 29 She became one of CNN's big names for her willingness to report from battle zones and other danger spots, creating the image of a super-journalist.
superkid n. /ˈsjuːpəkɪd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkɪd/
, /ˈsuːpəkɪd//ˈsjuːpəkɪd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkɪd/
/ˈsupərˌkɪd/ΚΠ
1909 Life July 34/1 There was a little superman Who had a superwife, And started out with the intent To lead a superlife. In time they had a superkid.
1974 Ebony Aug. 96/1 When Kali Grosvenor was nine years old,..she achieved a level of celebrity as a superkid. Her first book, Poems by Kali, had been published by a major firm.
2006 S. Bennett & N. Kalish Case against Homework v. 118 Pushing children harder and faster has never produced the superkids we hoped for.
superliner n. /ˈsjuːpəˌlʌɪnə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌlʌɪnə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌlʌɪnə//ˈsjuːpəˌlʌɪnə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌlaɪnər/
/ˈsupərˌlaɪnər/ΚΠ
1912 Economist 20 Apr. 836/2 This objection to the super-Dreadnought applies with equal force..to the super-liner of the mercantile marine.
1963 Economist 27 July 322 Cunard is still chasing its ambition of a new super-liner.
2008 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 17 Feb. 30/3 One of the world's biggest and most luxurious superliners slipped almost unnoticed into the Port of Brisbane yesterday.
super-magic n. and adj. /ˈsjuːpəˌmadʒɪk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌmadʒɪk/
, /ˈsuːpəˌmadʒɪk//ˈsjuːpəˌmadʒɪk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌmædʒɪk/
/ˈsupərˌmædʒɪk/ΚΠ
1919 L. S. Kirtland Samurai Trails ii. 39 It was the supermagic of one leg of a pair of silk pajamas.
1973 Crisis Dec. 332/2 No super magic is going to make things right for us.
2011 Denver Post (Nexis) 18 Feb. b4 You've got my vote when you come up with a super-magic silver-bullet solution.
super-medicine n. /ˈsjuːpəˌmɛd(ᵻ)s(ᵻ)n/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌmɛd(ᵻ)s(ᵻ)n/
, /ˈsuːpəˌmɛd(ᵻ)s(ᵻ)n//ˈsjuːpəˌmɛd(ᵻ)s(ᵻ)n/U.S. /ˈsupərˌmɛdəs(ə)n/
/ˈsupərˌmɛdəs(ə)n/ΚΠ
1907 Westm. Gaz. 24 Oct. 6/3 Dr. F. W. Andrewes read a paper on ‘Medicine and Super-Medicine.’
2005 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 28 May 16 If you could bottle physical exercise it would be the super-medicine of the century.
super-myth n. /ˈsjuːpəmɪθ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəmɪθ/
, /ˈsuːpəmɪθ//ˈsjuːpəmɪθ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌmɪθ/
/ˈsupərˌmɪθ/ΚΠ
1918 A. P. Herbert Bomber Gipsy 66 We want to hear the homely details..And not those super-myths.
1927 Weekly Times 13 Jan. 46/1 To establish the claim of Christianity to be, as it were, the ‘Super-Myth’.
2004 N. J. O'Shaughnessy Politics & Propaganda ix. 224 There were two foundation myths to the Iraq war..but numerous other myths emerged to support the super-myths.
super-nation n. /ˈsjuːpəˌneɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌneɪʃn/
, /ˈsuːpəˌneɪʃn//ˈsjuːpəˌneɪʃn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌneɪʃ(ə)n/
/ˈsupərˌneɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1906 M. I. Swift Marriage & Race Death xv. 128 The ruling classes of all nations have been and are united into one elect consolidated super-nation of their own.
1977 P. Johnson Enemies of Society xix. 248 Is there to be a huge African super-nation, based only on colour, but with immense racial differences within it?
1991 in B. MacArthur Despatches from Gulf War 321 A small non-white country has rankled a suddenly energised super-nation.
super-patriot n. /ˈsuːpəˌpeɪtrɪət/, /ˈsjuːpəˌpatrɪət/, /ˈsjuːpəˌpeɪtrɪət/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌpatrɪət/
, /ˈsuːpəˌpatrɪət//ˈsuːpəˌpeɪtrɪət//ˈsjuːpəˌpatrɪət//ˈsjuːpəˌpeɪtrɪət/U.S. /ˈsupərˌpeɪtriət/
/ˈsupərˌpeɪtriət/ΚΠ
1883 Sheffield & Rotherham Chron. 24 Feb. 6/3 Indeed, it was on the cards, that super-patriot, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, might be succeeded by the admirable Mr. James Carey.
1945 H. L. Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl. I. 429 During World War I an effort was made by super-patriots to drive all German loans from the American vocabulary.
2004 Outlook Nov. 15/1 Many American superpatriots..were furious to see ‘traitors’ being honoured in Canada.
superport n. /ˈsjuːpəpɔːt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəpɔːt/
, /ˈsuːpəpɔːt//ˈsjuːpəpɔːt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌpɔrt/
/ˈsupərˌpɔrt/ΚΠ
1923 Brownsville (Texas) Herald 23 Oct. 1/7 It is argued that everything else should be subordinate to the development of a super port at Point Isabel.
1970 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 9 Aug. 5/3 A second superport, providing modern bulk handling facilities.
2010 Thurrock Gaz. (Nexis) 12 May In January, Prime Minister Gordon Brown dropped in to visit the superport site as construction on the project finally got under way.
superquarry n. /ˈsjuːpəˌkwɒri/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌkwɒri/
, /ˈsuːpəˌkwɒri//ˈsjuːpəˌkwɒri/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkwɔri/
/ˈsupərˌkwɔri/ΚΠ
1974 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 339 352 This trend seems likely to continue, perhaps toward the development of a few ‘super’ quarries each producing 10 Mt a year or more.
1995 A. Warner Morvern Callar (1996) 221 I'll do anything though, I mean anything not in the port; I was wondering about the villages and how about yon superquarry.
2004 Third Way Jan. 34/2 He has..helped lead the campaign that has so far stopped a ‘superquarry’ on the Isle of Harris.
super-race n. /ˈsjuːpəreɪs/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəreɪs/
, /ˈsuːpəreɪs//ˈsjuːpəreɪs/U.S. /ˈsupərˌreɪs/
/ˈsupərˌreɪs/ΚΠ
1904 G. S. Hall Adolescence i. 48 Our present period of maturity may sometime shrivel to a rudiment..as childhood, youth, and apprenticeship to life become prolonged in some ascendent super-race of the future.
1979 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts 127 324/2 A single pathogen genotype able to attack all of the components, the so called ‘super-race’.
2008 Central Somerset Gaz. (Nexis) 14 Aug. 28 The gold medals won by American black sprinter Jesse Owens dealt a humiliating blow to the Nazis' theories of an Aryan super-race.
super-salesman n. /ˌsjuːpəˈseɪlzmən/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈseɪlzmən/
, /ˌsuːpəˈseɪlzmən//ˌsjuːpəˈseɪlzmən/U.S. /ˌsupərˈseɪlzmən/
/ˌsupərˈseɪlzmən/ΚΠ
1913 System Nov. 496/2 (heading) John Welcome—super-salesman. How a man with an idea established a new relationship between his house and its customers.
1978 M. Puzo Fools Die xvi. 172 A very soft-selling supersalesman.
1991 N.Y. Mag. 11 Mar. 106/3 Renate,..one of the daughters in a tight-knit Italian Catholic family,..falls in love with an obnoxious super-salesman.
super-salesmanship n. /ˌsjuːpəˈseɪlzmənʃɪp/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈseɪlzmənʃɪp/
, /ˌsuːpəˈseɪlzmənʃɪp//ˌsjuːpəˈseɪlzmənʃɪp/U.S. /ˌsupərˈseɪlzmənˌʃɪp/
/ˌsupərˈseɪlzmənˌʃɪp/ΚΠ
1909 Philistine Aug. 128 So then, if Advertising is Super-Salesmanship, why not a little Delicacy and a little Diplomacy when you speak its Merits to the Many?
1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 Feb. 11/3 Supersalesmanship is used to sell to adolescents, who must also learn to sell themselves.
2001 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 19 Nov. 40 With his super-salesmanship, all 19 Democrats and 12 Republicans in the New York delegation soon became sponsors of the resolution.
supership n. /ˈsjuːpəʃɪp/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəʃɪp/
, /ˈsuːpəʃɪp//ˈsjuːpəʃɪp/U.S. /ˈsupərˌʃɪp/
/ˈsupərˌʃɪp/ΚΠ
1912 Economist 20 Apr. 835/2 Proofs..have been multiplying in the last few months of the unmanageability of super-ships.
1974 National Rev. (U.S.) 1 Mar. 261 New sources of competitive coal have opened up in Australia, Canada, and South Africa, and again the specter of superships rises to plague us.
2000 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 18 June 13/1 It's the ultimate lifestyle for the rich and famous—a $10 billion luxurious supership that will roam the oceans.
super-sleuth n. /ˈsjuːpəsl(j)uːθ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəsl(j)uːθ/
, /ˈsuːpəsl(j)uːθ//ˈsjuːpəsl(j)uːθ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsluθ/
/ˈsupərˌsluθ/ΚΠ
1917 Pep Sept. 52/2 It was a great sensation to be adequately armed, and I felt like a super-sleuth, as I stepped into the machine.
1974 Aiken (S. Carolina) Standard 24 Apr. 4- a/5 It's doubtful if the FBI will long retain, or ever again seek, the super-sleuth.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 2 Apr. 23/1 Akumin's crime novels have been extremely successful in Russia, making Fandorin the country's first popular super-sleuth.
superspeed n. /ˈsjuːpəspiːd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəspiːd/
, /ˈsuːpəspiːd//ˈsjuːpəspiːd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌspid/
/ˈsupərˌspid/ΚΠ
1908 Titusville (Pa.) Morning Herald 4 July 4/1 Others are realizing the folly of super-speeds, and an all-powerful public sentiment against the unjust monopoly of the highway is becoming manifest in no uncertain manner.
1961 Times 17 Nov. 17/5 (advt.) Current Ferranti activities include..Atlas (most advanced super-speed computer in the world).
1994 Sight & Sound Oct. 11/3 The villains are plotting to tear up LA's trams, to make way for the superspeed of freeways.
superspy n. /ˈsjuːpəspʌɪ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəspʌɪ/
, /ˈsuːpəspʌɪ//ˈsjuːpəspʌɪ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌspaɪ/
/ˈsupərˌspaɪ/ΚΠ
1915 Boston Globe 21 Sept. 6/8 (advt.) Perceval Gibbon describes the vast system operating in Russia in ‘Spy and Superspy’ in this week's issue of Collier's.
1937 A. Koestler Spanish Test. i. 24 If one had taken them seriously, one might have imagined that half Esturil consisted of super-spies.
2006 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 17 July 17/2 Britain is looking for a new real-life Q, the eccentric boffin behind the gadgets designed for fictional superspy James Bond.
super-submarine n. /ˈsuːpəˌsʌbməriːn/, /ˈsjuːpəsʌbməˌriːn/, /ˈsjuːpəˌsʌbməriːn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəsʌbməˌriːn/
, /ˈsuːpəsʌbməˌriːn//ˈsuːpəˌsʌbməriːn//ˈsjuːpəsʌbməˌriːn//ˈsjuːpəˌsʌbməriːn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsəbməˌrin/
/ˈsupərˌsəbməˌrin/ΚΠ
1914 Salt Lake Tribune 24 Nov. 6/2 There is talk of super-submarines which will have a wider sailing radius and be able to cross the Atlantic.
2005 D. D'Ammassa Encycl. Sci. Fiction 393/1 Nemo, the captain of the rogue super-submarine Nautilus.
supertramp n. /ˈsjuːpətramp/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpətramp/
, /ˈsuːpətramp//ˈsjuːpətramp/U.S. /ˈsupərˌtræmp/
/ˈsupərˌtræmp/ΚΠ
1908 W. H. Davies (title) The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp.
1991 TV Guide 23 Feb. 20/3 Also due for renovation is Gina, the self-centered supertramp played by Robin Mattson.
super-variety n. /ˈsjuːpəvəˌrʌɪᵻti/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəvəˌrʌɪᵻti/
, /ˈsuːpəvəˌrʌɪᵻti//ˈsjuːpəvəˌrʌɪᵻti/U.S. /ˈsupərvəˌraɪədi/
/ˈsupərvəˌraɪədi/ΚΠ
1861 W. Story Ess. Agric. Victoria in Victorian Govt. Prize Ess. 1860 56 The super-varieties of rice.
1926 Spectator 13 Mar. 478/2 The Westerners are a super-variety of this breed.
2005 Christian Sci. Monitor (Nexis) 12 May (Planet section) 13 In the United States..nearly half of the corn planted last year were super varieties whose genes have been manipulated in a laboratory.
(ii)
superalloy n. /ˈsjuːpərˌalɔɪ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpərˌalɔɪ/
, /ˈsuːpərˌalɔɪ//ˈsjuːpərˌalɔɪ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌæˌlɔɪ/
Metallurgy an alloy capable of withstanding high temperatures, high stresses, and often highly oxidizing atmospheres./ˈsupərˌæˌlɔɪ/ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > alloy > [noun] > other types of alloy
white metala1387
hard metal1577
series1807
aggregate1908
superalloy1920
1920 Concrete May 72/2 It is possible to make a super-cement by adding ingredients to the raw material, just as it is possible to make super-alloy steels with special ingredients and treatment of the steel.
1953 C. L. Clark High-temp. Alloys xvi. 269 Up to the time of the introduction of these superalloys it was generally agreed that any alloy intended for high-temperature service should be processed and heat treated.
1981 McGraw-Hill Yearbk. Sci. & Technol. 325/1 Superalloys can operate for extended periods of time at temperatures about 1200°F (650° C), and provide resistance to hot corrosion and erosion.
2001 R. W. Cahn Coming of Materials Sci. ix. 355 The best superalloys now operate successfully at a Kelvin temperature which is as much as 85% of the melting temperature.
super audio CD n. /ˌsjuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ siːˈdiː/, /ˌsupər ˌɑdioʊ ˌsiˈdi/ a type of compact disc offering better sound quality than that of conventional compact discs; abbreviated SACD n. at S n.1 Additions.
Brit. /ˌsuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ siːˈdiː/
, /ˌsuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ siːˈdiː//ˌsjuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ siːˈdiː/U.S. /ˌsupər ˌɔdioʊ ˌsiˈdi/
, /ˌsupər ˌɔdioʊ ˌsiˈdi//ˌsupər ˌɑdioʊ ˌsiˈdi/ΚΠ
1995 Photonics Spectra Aug. 75/1 For example, it becomes a ‘super audio CD’ when audio signal is stored without compression to take advantage of a high data-transfer rate.
2003 T3 Mar. 35/2 Despite the advent of high-quality audio formats such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, there are still some beardy-weirdies out there clinging to vinyl.
super audio compact disc n. /ˌsjuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ ˌkɒmpakt ˈdɪsk/, /ˌsupər ˌɑdioʊ ˌkɑmˌpæk(t) ˈdɪsk/ = super audio CD n.
Brit. /ˌsuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ ˌkɒmpakt ˈdɪsk/
, /ˌsuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ ˌkɒmpakt ˈdɪsk//ˌsjuːpər ˌɔːdɪəʊ ˌkɒmpakt ˈdɪsk/U.S. /ˌsupər ˌɔdioʊ ˌkɑmˌpæk(t) ˈdɪsk/
, /ˌsupər ˌɔdioʊ ˌkɑmˌpæk(t) ˈdɪsk//ˌsupər ˌɑdioʊ ˌkɑmˌpæk(t) ˈdɪsk/ΚΠ
1997 Billboard (Nexis) 11 Oct. They claim the technology—which they call Super Audio Compact Disc—is the answer to the industry's needs for a digital audio carrier that offers vast improvements over the CD but is compatible with the 16-year-old format.
2007 Chicago Daily Herald (Nexis) 3 Aug. (Time Out section) 8 Two new contenders have entered the Mahler recording sweepstakes... Both new cycles have the advantage of using Super Audio Compact Disc surround-sound technology.
superbitch n. /ˈsjuːpəbɪtʃ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbɪtʃ/
, /ˈsuːpəbɪtʃ//ˈsjuːpəbɪtʃ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbɪtʃ/
derogatory a person, esp. a woman, who is extremely malicious, spiteful, or unpleasant; cf. megabitch n. at mega- comb. form 3b./ˈsupərˌbɪtʃ/ΚΠ
1951 Publishers' Weekly 159 218/2 The super-bitch heroine was less in evidence, or possibly I was lucky enough to avoid her.
1968 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 Jan. 78/4 He comes through as a sort of super-bitch in permanent emotional drag, and that cannot be right.
1987 S. Frentz in P. Browne Heroines Pop. Culture 180 In television, strong women are still likely to be the super-bitches of Dynasty and Falcon Crest.
2011 W. C. Hatounian Causal Connection viii. 48 ‘I've got a life and I'm happy. So just get on with yours.’ She nodded towards Zelda and walked away. ‘Who's the superbitch, Aldus?’ Zelda said sweetly.
superbrain n. /ˈsjuːpəbreɪn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbreɪn/
, /ˈsuːpəbreɪn//ˈsjuːpəbreɪn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbreɪn/
an unusually powerful or capable brain; (also) a highly intelligent person (cf. brain n. 4c)./ˈsupərˌbreɪn/ΚΠ
1913 Mag. Wall St. Aug. 315/2 (title) Brains and super-brains.
1975 Pix (Austral.) 13 Nov. 42/5 Futurologist and ‘super brain’ Dr. Kahn..on a recent visit said the world would be better off if Australians worked harder.
2007 G. Murphy Why is Snot Green? (2009) 187 There's no danger of a computer superbrain outwitting us at the moment.
superbrand n. /ˈsjuːpəbrand/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbrand/
, /ˈsuːpəbrand//ˈsjuːpəbrand/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbrænd/
originally U.S. a particular brand of goods or services that is of high quality or is otherwise exceptional; (in later use) spec. a well-known or highly recognizable brand./ˈsupərˌbrænd/ΚΠ
1892 Evening Express (Lock Haven, Pa.) 10 Nov. ‘My object in calling—’ ‘I told you I didn't want anything!’ ‘Is to introduce to your notice a super-brand of—’ ‘I've got no time to listen to you, sir!’ ‘Sassafras soap.’
1951 N.Y. Times 9 July 30/7 It is the first time Florida has made a concerted effort to establish a super-brand in competition with Sunkist of California.
2009 J. K. A. Smith Desiring Kingdom iii. 102 Superbrands like Nike and Starbucks aim to forge ‘spiritual bonds’ with consumers by channeling a sense that their product is the answer to the most basic and primal human needs.
superbrat n. /ˈsjuːpəbrat/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəbrat/
, /ˈsuːpəbrat//ˈsjuːpəbrat/U.S. /ˈsupərˌbræt/
(a) an exceptionally obnoxious or badly behaved child or young adult; (b) a person in the public eye who has become famous for displays of volatile, bad-tempered, or emotionally unstable behaviour.The term was famously applied to the tennis player John McEnroe as a nickname by the British press, in response to several such outbursts on court early in his playing career./ˈsupərˌbræt/ΚΠ
1945 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 2 Aug. 14/4 German ground troops learned to fear ‘Squirto the Superbrat’, a name given to a Thunderbolt and its pilot... ‘I picked up that title back in grade school, on account of my being the youngest in the family’, related the lieutenant.
1955 Maclean's 14 May 19/1 From the public's point of view, the conviction that the child psychologist raises a family of superbrats is logical enough.
1979 Guardian 8 May 28/1 He is clearly making an effort to erase the bad public image which has saddled him with names like Superbrat.
2001 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 22 May 36 [His] first victory on the PGA Tour, the Colonial Mastercard, was a welcome sign that he may yet become a superstar instead of golf's superbrat.
2008 J. Gordinier X saves World 76 The other kids are rotten to the core. The other kids are mall rats and superbrats, and their behavior represents a tapestry of tawdry conduct.
supercapacitor n. /ˈsjuːpəkəˌpasᵻtə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkəˌpasᵻtə/
, /ˈsuːpəkəˌpasᵻtə//ˈsjuːpəkəˌpasᵻtə/U.S. /ˈsupərkəˌpæsədər/
Electronics a capacitor with exceptionally large capacity; spec. one that employs electrochemical cells and large surface-area electrodes with double-layer capacitance; also called ultracapacitor./ˈsupərkəˌpæsədər/ΚΠ
1962 Analog Sci. Fact & Sci. Fiction Apr. 107/2 This aspect as a super-capacitor has application in an entirely different area... More and more interest is developing in the production of ultra-intense magnetic fields.
1992 RS Components: Electronic & Electr. Products July 689/2 Super capacitor backup retains a programme for up to 3 days in the handheld programmers memory.
2006 New Scientist 25 Mar. 47/2 The team designed a float that amplifies its movement to deliver maximum acceleration to Cheung's device, and electronics to store the electricity it generates in a super-capacitor.
supercentre n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsɛntə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsɛntə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsɛntə//ˈsjuːpəˌsɛntə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɛn(t)ər/
a large retail outlet with its own car parking facilities, typically located in a suburban area on a purpose-built site along with other such centres./ˈsupərˌsɛn(t)ər/ΚΠ
1948 Chicago Sunday Tribune 25 Jan. iii. 12/4 Each of these super-centers will have a department store..and automobile service stations.
1964 Times 15 Aug. 6/1 American style ‘one-stop’ shopping in a single storey suburban store with ample parking space is coming to this country on November 7 when the United States G.E.M. International group will open its first supercentre near Nottingham.
2003 Observer 19 Jan. (Business section) 4/6 In the US alone it has 3,500 stores. Of these nearly 1,000 are these formidable supercentres.
superchip n. /ˈsjuːpətʃɪp/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpətʃɪp/
, /ˈsuːpətʃɪp//ˈsjuːpətʃɪp/U.S. /ˈsupərˌtʃɪp/
a very large or otherwise exceptional chip (in various senses); (spec. in Computing and Electronics) a very powerful or advanced computer chip./ˈsupərˌtʃɪp/ΚΠ
1932 Morning Sun (Iowa) News-Herald 6 Oct. (advt.) Soap chips 5lb. box 25c. Big 4 super chips.
1962 Observer 29 July 14 He returned that night with some very large spuds. From the biggest he cut a long, thin section with which he baited his hook. When he cast out, this super chip hit the water and shimmied down gently.
1976 Computerworld 15 Mar. 17/2 Doubling the key length might require a four-times-as-complex super-chip, which might cost $50 in very large quantities instead of $25.
2004 Sci. News 165 158/2 A low-cost silicon optical superchip could soon be a reality.
superchurch n. /ˈsjuːpətʃəːtʃ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpətʃəːtʃ/
, /ˈsuːpətʃəːtʃ//ˈsjuːpətʃəːtʃ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌtʃərtʃ/
(a) a highly advanced church; (b) a church denomination formed by the amalgamation of separate denominations; (c) a very large church building, or a church with an unusually large membership (cf. megachurch n. at mega- comb. form 3b)./ˈsupərˌtʃərtʃ/ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > religion > a religion or church > [noun] > original
mother church1574
para-church1970
superchurch1970
society > faith > artefacts > sanctuary or holy place > principal place of worship > [noun] > large
superchurch1998
1905 C. H. Henderson Children of Good Fortune xii. 279 If there be a super-family, a super-school, a super-church, a super-state, [etc.].
1970 Time 25 May 76 Episcopalians are potential participants in the proposed multichurch Protestant merger, the Church of Christ Uniting. Should the Episcopal Church join the new super-church, [etc.].
1998 Guardian 24 Aug. i. 3/3 Britain has not boasted such a superchurch since the fundamentalist Baptist minister, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, preached to up to 6,000 at his Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.
2005 Peterborough Evening Tel. (Nexis) 26 Apr. Diggers have rolled on to a 12-acre site as work gets underway to build a £5 million ‘superchurch’ in Peterborough.
supercollider n. /ˈsjuːpəkəˌlʌɪdə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkəˌlʌɪdə/
, /ˈsuːpəkəˌlʌɪdə//ˈsjuːpəkəˌlʌɪdə/U.S. /ˈsupərkəˌlaɪdər/
Particle Physics any of several colliders (collider n. 2) of exceptionally high energy, such as the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider./ˈsupərkəˌlaɪdər/ΚΠ
1983 Science 22 July 344/2 The super collider recommended at Woods Hole essentially is the CBA [sc. Colliding Beam Accelerator], just scaled up a factor of 50 or so in energy.
1996 R. X. Cringely Accidental Empires (rev. ed.) 78 The space telescope and the supercollider are civilian projects intended to explain the nature and structure of the universe.
2010 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Jan. 91/2 The On buttons of the new super-collider were first punched on September 10, 2008, and for a while everything was going extraordinarily well.
supercommittee n. /ˈsjuːpəkəˌmɪti/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkəˌmɪti/
, /ˈsuːpəkəˌmɪti//ˈsjuːpəkəˌmɪti/U.S. /ˈsupərkəˌmɪdi/
a committee responsible for coordinating or overseeing the activities of two or more subordinate committees or other bodies, and typically comprising members from those subordinate groups./ˈsupərkəˌmɪdi/ΚΠ
1914 Amer. Reg. & Anglo-Colonial World 15 Feb. (London ed.) 8/3 I see before me visions of committees, super committees, and sub-committees, to deal with every conceivable detail.
1931 Amer. Mercury Jan. 95/2 The response to Washington's appeal was so excellent that it soon became necessary to establish special super-committees to bring order into the chaos of the innumerable committees.
1984 Times 15 June 2/2 Senior figures in both unions are understood to favour the establishment of a new ‘super committee’.
2011 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (Nexis) 16 Nov. 2 d The supercommittee asked for budget-cutting suggestions from several policy committees in the House and Senate as it undertook its goal of finding $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction.
supercruise n. /ˈsjuːpəkruːz/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkruːz/
, /ˈsuːpəkruːz//ˈsjuːpəkruːz/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkruz/
Aeronautics (the ability to achieve) sustained flight at supersonic speed without the use of afterburners; frequently attributive. [Probably influenced by supersonic adj.] /ˈsupərˌkruz/ΚΠ
1976 J. F. Campbell et al. Vortex Maneuver Lift for Super-Cruise Configurations (NASA Techn. Memorandum X-72836) 1 The vortex lift forces..may be particularly important for the Super Cruise aircraft if it is to have maneuver characteristics similar to those of current subsonic-transonic fighters.
1980 Aviation Week & Space Technol. 27 Oct. 16/2 Emphasis in NASA's ‘supercruise’ fighter study will be to obtain industry concepts of tactical aircraft possessing two or three times the supersonic cruise ranges of existing fighters.
2007 S. Davies & D. Dildy F-15 Eagle Engaged 5/1 If any fighter can hope to be worthy of such a record as the Eagle's, the F-22 is certainly it. It's a monumental leap forward with its stealth and supercruise.
supercruiser n. /ˈsjuːpəˌkruːzə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌkruːzə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌkruːzə//ˈsjuːpəˌkruːzə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkruzər/
(a) a naval cruiser capable of cruising at very high speeds; (b) any of various types of cruiser regarded as very fast, large, or otherwise exceptional; (c) Aeronautics a jet aeroplane capable of sustained flight at supersonic speed without the use of afterburners. [In sense (c) probably influenced by supersonic adj.] /ˈsupərˌkruzər/ΚΠ
1912 Observer 21 Jan. 9/3 It is proposed as part of the Russian naval programme to construct four ‘super-cruisers’, in addition to a considerable number of torpedo-boats, submarines, auxiliary cruisers, and transports.
1976 Aviation Week & Space Technol. 19 Jan. 16/3 Boeing..is investigating a light experimental supercruiser (LES), a supersonic cruise fighter.
1991 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 17 Dec. A joint venture that would..bring in two 200-guest luxury ships..and another supercruiser.
1998 B. Sweetman F-22 Raptor iv. 90/1 The resulting aircraft would not be stealthy, a supercruiser, or have the F-22's avionics.
2001 Sun Herald (Sydney) (Nexis) 11 Feb. 4 The Hunwick Harrop Phantom 1500, a luxury touring motorcycle... The supercruiser has been airfreighted to Indianapolis for Dealer Expo 2001.
2006 D. A. Butler Distant Victory ii. 44 Because it would be harder to hit, the supercruiser would not need as much armor as a battleship.
supercut n. /ˈsjuːpəkʌt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkʌt/
, /ˈsuːpəkʌt//ˈsjuːpəkʌt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌkət/
a video montage compiled from a large number of very short clips and posted on the internet, typically comprising many examples taken from films or broadcasts of a repeated or clichéd action or phrase./ˈsupərˌkət/ΚΠ
2008 A. Baio Fanboy Supercuts, Obsessive Video Montages in waxy.org 18 Apr. (blog, Internet Archive Wayback Machine 20 Apr. 2008) This insane montage of (nearly) every instance of ‘What?’ from the LOST series started me thinking about this genre of video meme, where some obsessive-compulsive superfan collects every phrase/action/cliche from an episode (or entire series) of their favorite show/film/game into a single massive video montage. For lack of a better name, let's call them supercuts.
2013 themarysue.com (Nexis) 12 Apr. This is a supercut of wide shots of the back of characters' heads as they look at something impressive or important.
supercyclone n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsʌɪkləʊn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsʌɪkləʊn/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsʌɪkləʊn//ˈsjuːpəˌsʌɪkləʊn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsaɪˌkloʊn/
an extremely powerful cyclone; (Meteorology) a tropical cyclone with sustained wind speeds in excess of 130 knots (240 km per hour) in the region of the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Bay of Bengal./ˈsupərˌsaɪˌkloʊn/ΚΠ
1948 R. T. Peterson Birds over Amer. 279 The sea storm became a land storm, a sort of super-cyclone. Church steeples were snapped off in little towns in the Connecticut Valley.
1975 R. F. Nyrop Area Handbk. for Bangladesh 66 The first half of the twentieth century was comparatively free from the devastation of the supercyclones recorded in earlier centuries, but since then a heavier pattern has resumed.
1989 S. H. Schneider Global Warming (1990) i. 2 After the super-cyclone last year, thousands of people from Indonesia joined a growing stream from Bangladesh, climbing into anything that would float.
2010 Times of India (Nexis) 3 June ‘The storm is expected to turn into a super cyclone in the next 48 hours’, Khole said, adding that the coastal areas of Gujarat would experience more rains.
super-dreadnought n. /ˈsjuːpəˌdrɛdnɔːt/, /ˈsupərˌdrɛdˌnɑt/ now historical a battleship with an armament of big guns superior to that of the Dreadnought class; (more generally) any large battleship.
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌdrɛdnɔːt/
, /ˈsuːpəˌdrɛdnɔːt//ˈsjuːpəˌdrɛdnɔːt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌdrɛdˌnɔt/
, /ˈsupərˌdrɛdˌnɔt//ˈsupərˌdrɛdˌnɑt/ΚΠ
1908 N. Amer. Rev. Nov. 795 Her [sc. England's] Cabinet has agreed that, beginning this year, she shall lay down no fewer than eight Dreadnoughts, or super-Dreadnoughts, annually, for at least four years.
1943 Pop. Sci. Aug. 66/2 A superdreadnought equipped with radar, as ours are, can locate an unseen enemy battleship and drop a broadside upon it.
2007 G. C. Peden Arms, Econ. & Brit. Strategy i. 26 The British super-dreadnoughts, the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ class, were the first British battleships to use oil instead of coal.
superfish n. /ˈsjuːpəfɪʃ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəfɪʃ/
, /ˈsuːpəfɪʃ//ˈsjuːpəfɪʃ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfɪʃ/
(a) an exceptional or extraordinary fish; (in later use) spec. a fish that has been genetically modified; (b) colloquial (chiefly Australian) a very talented swimmer./ˈsupərˌfɪʃ/ΚΠ
1891 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 18 Jan. 18/6 The fish had overdone itself, and after apparently five minutes of super-fish efforts it grew more docile.
1919 Amer. Angler Jan. 472/2 A fish which can escape this series of hooks would be a superfish indeed.
1921 Rainbow of ΔΤΔ 44 587 It is reported this super-fish (the fish referring to his swimming ability)..also brought home several suit cases full of medals.
1976 Austral. Women's Weekly 7 July 11/3 I walked up the beach through thousands of Chinese. ‘Ah! Superfish!’ most of them said.
1983 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 9 Dec. Currently, there is a program to develop a ‘super-fish’ by cloning a growth hormone gene and introducing this gene into recipient fish.
2006 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 16 Oct. 22 Superfish Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett leading the Aussie assault against international stars Michael Phelps of the US and Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband.
superfood n. /ˈsjuːpəfuːd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəfuːd/
, /ˈsuːpəfuːd//ˈsjuːpəfuːd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfud/
a food considered especially nutritious or otherwise beneficial to health and well-being./ˈsupərˌfud/ΚΠ
1915 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 24 June 18/2 He had changed the tenor of his mood, And wisely written wine as super-food.
1949 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 3 Feb. 14/3 Mr. LeBourdais extolled their [sc. the muffins's] worth as a superfood that contained all the known vitamins and some that had not been discovered.
2002 Here's Health Mar. 59/3 Sprouts have long been recognised as superfoods, due to their high protein, enzyme, vitamin and mineral content.
superforce n. /ˈsjuːpəfɔːs/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəfɔːs/
, /ˈsuːpəfɔːs//ˈsjuːpəfɔːs/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfɔrs/
Physics a single force of which electromagnetism, the weak force, the strong force, and (usually) gravity are regarded as different manifestations.These forces are thought to be unified as a single force at extremely high energies, such as those thought to have occurred in the very early universe./ˈsupərˌfɔrs/ΚΠ
1982 Newsweek 10 May 46/3 Electromagnetism.., the weak nuclear force..and the strong force..seem as different as, well, the north and south poles of a magnet. But in ‘grand unified theories’ (GUTs) physicists are trying to show that all three are manifestations of one superforce.
1993 M. A. Corey God & New Cosmol. v. 127 Immediately following the occurrence of the Big Bang the universe was still so hot that the four fundamental forces of nature were symmetrically intertwined in a single superforce.
2009 J. B. Zirker Magn. Universe 281 During the first microseconds after the universe was born in a Big Bang, it is thought, all four forces were joined in a superforce. As the universe cooled and expanded to its present state, the forces separated.
superfortress n. /ˈsjuːpəˌfɔːtrᵻs/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌfɔːtrᵻs/
, /ˈsuːpəˌfɔːtrᵻs//ˈsjuːpəˌfɔːtrᵻs/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfɔrtrəs/
(a) a very large and heavily defended fortress; (b) a bomber aeroplane larger and more technically advanced than the Boeing B-17 ‘flying fortress’ (cf. flying fortress n. at flying n. Additions); spec. (an informal name for) the Boeing B-29 long-range heavy bomber aeroplane developed in the early 1940s./ˈsupərˌfɔrtrəs/ΚΠ
1916 Manch. Guardian 24 Nov. 5/3 They were super-fortresses defended by large garrisons as heavily armed and munitioned as the men wished.
1938 Joplin (Missouri) Globe 22 Apr. a1/5 The army's famous ‘flying fortress’ is available for export. The army's faster, more lethal super-fortress is not.
1982 Pop. Mech. Dec. 127/1 Though subsequently replaced by the even more awesome B-29 Superfortress, the B-17 was a marvelous flying machine.
2010 D. Brown Executive Intent ii. 83 Although Wenchang was the main target of this mission, the Grebe drone also snapped a few pictures of the rest of the island superfortress.
2011 G. G. Loving Bully Able Leader xi. 122 Known as the Superfortress, the B-29 was a huge airplane with a wingspan of 141 feet and a crew of eleven.
superfruit n. /ˈsjuːpəfruːt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəfruːt/
, /ˈsuːpəfruːt//ˈsjuːpəfruːt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfrut/
(a) a fruit bred or genetically modified to have some quality to an unusual degree, such as large size, resistance to disease, etc. (now rare); (b) any of several fruits considered to be particularly nutritious or otherwise beneficial to health, esp. by being high in antioxidants and rich in vitamins./ˈsupərˌfrut/ΚΠ
1932 H. Miles tr. A. Maurois Private Universe 261 Why should one complain in a land..where botanists, by scientific grafting, have produced a super-fruit [Fr. un melon survégetal] in the melon they have named the ‘Honeydew’?
1970 Alton (Illinois) Evening Tel. 24 Mar. a11/7 I have nothing against grapefruit, except that I don't believe it is a super-fruit.
1993 Super Marketing 13 Feb. 22/1 Can genetic engineering shake off its ‘Frankenstein’ image to become a commercially sound way of producing super fruit and vegetables which have a built-in resistance to pests or disease?
2006 Tatler Aug. 146/1 (advt.) Pomegranates are the new superfruits, with high levels of antioxidants which..fight cancer causing effects.
superfund n. /ˈsjuːpəfʌnd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəfʌnd/
, /ˈsuːpəfʌnd//ˈsjuːpəfʌnd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfənd/
a very large or otherwise exceptional fund (in various senses); spec. (U.S.) (frequently with capital initial) a federal government fund established in 1980 to finance the Environmental Protection Agency's clean-up of sites contaminated with hazardous waste; (also) the associated clean-up programme./ˈsupərˌfənd/ΚΠ
1923 Kokomo (Indiana) Tribune 3 Feb. 14/3 (advt.) In the super-fund of masterful entertainment starting tomorrow, money has been lavished with a generous hand.
1975 Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Jrnl. 5 June 4- b/4 He also pointed out that the industry strongly supports the development of a ‘superfund’ to cover all oil spills that might occur, from any source.
1989 M. E. Clark Ariadne's Thread iv. 116 In 1980 the US Congress established a five-year ‘Superfund’ of $1.6 billion to clean up an estimated 2000 hazardous sites around the nation.
1990 New Scientist 15 Sept. 23/3 International bodies have discussed the idea of a ‘superfund’, donated by rich countries, to buy the AIDS vaccine from its producer at market price and distribute it cheaply.
2009 C. Wilcox Earth-friendly Waste Managem. i. 16 So far the Superfund has cleaned up about 180 old dumps.
supergraphic n. /ˈsjuːpəˌɡrafɪk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌɡrafɪk/
, /ˈsuːpəˌɡrafɪk//ˈsjuːpəˌɡrafɪk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɡræfɪk/
originally and chiefly U.S. (frequently in plural) a large-scale graphic design applied to the interior or exterior of a building, typically utilizing bold colours, geometric shapes, and typographic elements./ˈsupərˌɡræfɪk/ΚΠ
1967 Progressive Archit. Nov. Contents 2 Supergraphics: Supermannerists use bold stripes, geometric forms, and three-dimensional images of enormous size to ‘expand’ interior spaces.
1980 H. Schechter New Gods 147 To recall the sixties is to conjure up a world of posters, light shows, psychedelic art, and supergraphics—an explosion of radiant primary colors.
2011 L. Ortiz Disco Dance iv. 127 The décor consisted of a few red disco balls hung among the exposed drainpipes and a wide, red supergraphic on the wall.
supergrid n. /ˈsjuːpəɡrɪd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəɡrɪd/
, /ˈsuːpəɡrɪd//ˈsjuːpəɡrɪd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌɡrɪd/
an exceptionally large or strong grid; spec. an electricity grid serving a larger area than other grids or incorporating other grids, typically covering an area of a country or more at a higher transmission voltage.A proprietary name in the United Kingdom for electrical distribution networks./ˈsupərˌɡrɪd/ΚΠ
1924 3rd Ann. Rep. Ohio Conf. Water Purification 1923 12 In order to clean the filter sand in satisfactory manner in washing, a super-grid of piping has been installed near the sand surface.
1950 Times Rev. Industry May 32/1 The projected 275/300kV British super-grid transmission system.
1979 Nature 8 Nov. 123/2 The extension of the Union-wide ‘supergrid’ of 1500 V dc transmission lines should, theoretically, allow power stations to be sited anywhere.
2006 New Scientist 20 May 26/1 The economic attractiveness of the windiest sites for generation in the UK is largely cancelled out by the costs of reinforcing supergrid transmission lines.
superhunk n. /ˈsjuːpəhʌŋk/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəhʌŋk/
, /ˈsuːpəhʌŋk//ˈsjuːpəhʌŋk/U.S. /ˈsupərˌhəŋk/
colloquial (originally U.S.) a very sexually attractive man, esp. one who is muscular or ruggedly handsome; cf. hunk n.1 Additions./ˈsupərˌhəŋk/ΚΠ
1981 New Pittsburgh Courier 25 Apr. 11/5 The backbreaking routine of the daytime TV superhunk has some of his friends shaking their heads.
1997 People (Nexis) 2 Nov. 14 Phwoar! These three sizzling super-hunks are sending pulses racing on the motorbike circuit with their Hollywood star looks and finely-tuned skills.
2007 R. Propst Absent Memories xiv. 65 Girls at work were always buzzing about the superhunks they'd met on the Internet, so I decided to try it.
super-hurricane n. /ˈsuːpəˌhʌrᵻkeɪn/, /ˈsjuːpəˌhʌrᵻkən/, /ˈsjuːpəˌhʌrᵻkeɪn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌhʌrᵻkən/
, /ˈsuːpəˌhʌrᵻkən//ˈsuːpəˌhʌrᵻkeɪn//ˈsjuːpəˌhʌrᵻkən//ˈsjuːpəˌhʌrᵻkeɪn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌhərəˌkeɪn/
an extremely powerful blast of air; (Meteorology) a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean with sustained wind speeds in excess of 130 knots (240 km per hour)./ˈsupərˌhərəˌkeɪn/ΚΠ
1920 Monthly Weather Rev. (U.S.) 48 565/1 Superhurricane winds..are called for by the operation of the law of equal areas.
1929 S. Chase Men & Machines 31 Similarly one can make a wind, indeed a super-hurricane, with rushing steam, and blow a set of blades around the great steel bottle of a steam turbine.
1940 Science 8 Mar. 9/2 Just as trees sway in a gale, so too do the turbine blades sway and vibrate under this super-hurricane of hot, ‘live’ steam.
2000 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 30 Sept. Super-hurricanes like Mitch and Floyd could become more common.
super-injunction n. /ˈsjuːpərɪnˌdʒʌŋ(k)ʃn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpərɪnˌdʒʌŋ(k)ʃn/
, /ˈsuːpərɪnˌdʒʌŋ(k)ʃn//ˈsjuːpərɪnˌdʒʌŋ(k)ʃn/U.S. /ˈsupərᵻnˌdʒəŋ(k)ʃ(ə)n/
British colloquial an unusually comprehensive or wide-ranging legal injunction; spec. one forbidding both the public disclosure of particular information (often relating to a public figure) and also disclosure of the existence of the injunction itself./ˈsupərᵻnˌdʒəŋ(k)ʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1997 Herald (Glasgow) 20 June 16 The new Government is planning to back up such developments with a new super injunction called the Community Safety Order... The CSO will consist of a comprehensive set of restrictions on the movements of tenants, their families and visitors.
2002 Guardian 17 June (Media section) 6/1 A class-action ‘super-injunction’ on behalf of Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Julia Roberts, Michael Jackson, et al, against everyone they have ever met.
2009 D. Davis in Hansard Commons (Electronic ed.) 13 Oct. 164 This is a new class of injunction, a so-called super injunction, in which the press are not even allowed to report the injunction itself and the existence of the case.
2011 R. Parry Ascent of Media iii. 377 The ubiquity of services like Twitter mean that the law courts (in Britain using the much-derided super-injunctions) are unable to control what amounts to gossip between people.
superloo n. /ˈsjuːpəluː/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəluː/
, /ˈsuːpəluː//ˈsjuːpəluː/U.S. /ˈsupərˌlu/
British colloquial a large public convenience, esp. at a railway station, typically offering a range of washing facilities, including showers./ˈsupərˌlu/ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory > public
vespasienne1834
public lavatory1880
chalet1881
public toilet1895
rear1902
cottage1909
comfort station1923
public convenience1938
vespasian1938
facility1939
superloo1965
1965 Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) 19 Nov. 10/2 Do you know what the Superloo is? It is a great big public bathroom that is being built underneath the center of London, where for sixpence you will be able to take a hot bath, wash your hair, [etc.].
1972 Travelling Autumn 43/3 Edinburgh's Waverley Station..will provide superloos, catering facilities.
1995 N. Whittaker Platform Souls (1996) xxiv. 190 There's just time for us to buy a bag of Maltesers and visit the superloo.
supermajority n. /ˈsjuːpəməˌdʒɒrᵻti/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəməˌdʒɒrᵻti/
, /ˈsuːpəməˌdʒɒrᵻti//ˈsjuːpəməˌdʒɒrᵻti/U.S. /ˈsupərməˌdʒɔrədi/
originally North American a specified proportion of votes in excess of a simple majority, required by a legislature or other body to pass certain types of measures; a majority of members sufficient to provide this proportion of votes.In the U.S. Congress, a two-thirds majority is required for various actions, including overriding a presidential veto, and a three-fifths majority to pass a cloture motion to end a filibuster in the Senate./ˈsupərməˌdʒɔrədi/ΚΠ
1915 Manitoba Free Press 2 Apr. 9/2 The Roblin Government kept its super-majority on the Public Accounts Committee working under such heavy pressure.
1972 Harvard Law Rev. 85 1624 The uselessness of requiring presidential approval when the amendment had already been proposed by a supermajority of Congress sufficient to override a presidential veto.
1989 S. A. Fox Keys to Incorporating viii. 37 In setting up the articles, incorporators may specify procedures for voting, such as a supermajority for the adoption of important measures.
2009 R. W. Merry Country of Vast Designs iii. 56 Anti-Van Buren members of the House Democratic caucus sought to thwart the New Yorker's followers by imposing a two-thirds rule for selecting various House officers. The Van Buren men readily accepted the supermajority rule.
2010 M. N. Green Speaker of House vii. 219 Unless his party controls a supermajority of seats, the leader must contend with the considerable power of the minority to hinder or obstruct legislation.
supermoon n. /ˈsjuːpəmuːn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəmuːn/
, /ˈsuːpəmuːn//ˈsjuːpəmuːn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌmun/
originally Astrology an occasion when the moon appears particularly large in the sky owing to the near coincidence of its closest approach to the Earth (perigee) with a full or new moon (syzygy); (also) the moon on such an occasion./ˈsupərˌmun/ΚΠ
1979 R. Nolle in Horoscope Sept. 26/2 (title) Supermoon: the deadly moon tide.
1995 Evening Standard (Nexis) 17 Nov. 36 Investors are also asked to beware of 22 December when eight planets will be ‘within 34 degrees of arc of each other’. This will coincide with the winter solstice and a ‘supermoon’—when a new moon happens at perigee, the closest point in the moon's orbit to the Earth.
2015 Baltimore Sun (Nexis) 1 Jan. (Local section) 2 a The highlight of 2015 for skywatchers could be the coincidence of a ‘supermoon’ and a late-night full lunar eclipse in September.
superpartner n. /ˈsjuːpəˌpɑːtnə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌpɑːtnə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌpɑːtnə//ˈsjuːpəˌpɑːtnə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌpɑrtnər/
Particle Physics each of the hypothetical particles which are supersymmetric counterparts of established particles in the standard model of particle physics.Each superpartner is thought to have a spin which differs by ½ from that of its standard counterpart, and to have a much greater mass.Examples of superpartners include the gravitino, higgsino, photino, selectron, wino, and zino./ˈsupərˌpɑrtnər/ΚΠ
1977 Nucl. Physics B. 122 291 The key difficulty, the existence of low-lying spin-0 states (super-partners of the leptons), can be circumvented by Slavnov's trick.
1986 Science 28 Mar. 1526/2 There is no conclusive experimental evidence for any superpartners.
2006 L. Smolin Trouble with Physics v. 74 If one particle has a superpartner, they all must. Thus, each quark comes with a bosonic partner, a squark. The photon is partnered with a new fermion, the photino.
superpipe n. /ˈsjuːpəpʌɪp/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəpʌɪp/
, /ˈsuːpəpʌɪp//ˈsjuːpəpʌɪp/U.S. /ˈsupərˌpaɪp/
(a) (a length of) pipe of exceptional size, strength, etc.; (b) (in snowboarding and freestyle skiing) an extended half-pipe constructed of snow banks forming a high-walled channel, down which snowboarders and skiers travel while performing aerial manoeuvres on each wall of the channel alternately; cf. half-pipe n. 2b.In quot. 1998 referring to a computer game involving snowboarding./ˈsupərˌpaɪp/ΚΠ
1907 Proc. U.S. Naval Inst. 33 i. 31 Why, when in ninety per cent of the cases all the navy wanted was the best and strongest quality of commercial pipe on the market, there were not two kinds of standard specifications, one for the superpipe and the other for just pipe.
1992 E. Noam Telecommunications in Europe xxxiii. 351 ISDN claims to put together separate communications networks into one unified superpipe.
1998 AM Newswire (Nexis) 29 Dec. Once they come out on top of the circuit, four additional levels are unlocked—Superpipe, I-70, Boarder-X, and Freeride.
1999 Lincoln (Nebraska) Jrnl. Star (Nexis) 5 Dec. 13 Almost 20 percent of last year's lift tickets were sold to snowboarders. Vail is adding a new pipe dragon with a 15-foot super-pipe.
2012 H. Thorpe Snowboarding: Ultimate Guide iii. 54 The additional height of the super-pipe walls enables athletes to store more gravitational energy at the top of the wall, and thus gain more potential energy and kinetic energy.
superplume n. /ˈsjuːpəpluːm/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəpluːm/
, /ˈsuːpəpluːm//ˈsjuːpəpluːm/U.S. /ˈsupərˌplum/
Geology a massive mantle plume (plume n. 7c)./ˈsupərˌplum/ΚΠ
1981 EOS 72 301 The model suggests that the superplume volcanism and CO2 outgassing produced higher pCO2.
1996 National Geographic Jan. 111 (caption) Volcanoes rip through the crust..across hundreds of miles as the head of a superplume bulges underneath.
2010 E. Gregersen Inner Solar Syst. v. 121 Superplumes may have had profound effects on Earth's geologic history and even on its climate.
superprofit n. /ˈsjuːpəˌprɒfɪt/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌprɒfɪt/
, /ˈsuːpəˌprɒfɪt//ˈsjuːpəˌprɒfɪt/U.S. /ˈsupərˌprɑfət/
an unusually large or excessive profit./ˈsupərˌprɑfət/ΚΠ
1899 Board of Trade Jrnl. Mar. 298 The holder of the policy participates in super-profits, and has to bear a portion of the losses of the insurance association.
1946 Sun (Baltimore) 9 July 2/2 He declares that Mr. Norton is trying to..swell employers' ‘super~profits’.
2010 Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nexis) 4 June The militant Health Alliance of Democracy says the local drug industry has been raking superprofits from the poor.
super-rat n. /ˈsjuːpərat/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpərat/
, /ˈsuːpərat//ˈsjuːpərat/U.S. /ˈsupərˌræt/
an unusually large, rampant, or voracious rat, spec. one that is resistant to the action of the usual rat poisons./ˈsupərˌræt/ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Rodentia or rodent > superfamily Myomorpha (mouse, rat, vole, or hamster) > [noun] > family Muridae > genus Rattus (rat) > particular characteristics or habitat
land-rat1600
river rat1709
plague rat1768
cave-rat1859
super-rat1916
1916 North-China Herald 29 Jan. 216/2 The super-rat has been called into being and it will go hard with him when the war is over.
1966 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 18 Apr. d3/1 Inside the barrier the super rats will be hunted down by expert extermination teams.
2001 M. Jenkins Coulda bin Summin 17 We got a lovely Big Ole T'keep fillin now-a coal's ewsed up, Got more variety o' smells Than 'ey got burgers up Big Mac's, Got a species o' super-rat Eats all rubbish no matter what.
supersaver n. /ˈsjuːpəˌseɪvə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌseɪvə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌseɪvə//ˈsjuːpəˌseɪvə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌseɪvər/
originally U.S. (a) a person who is very adept at saving money; (b) Marketing a product or (in later use) a fare or tariff promoted as one that saves the consumer a considerable amount of money; frequently attributive; cf. saver n. 4b./ˈsupərˌseɪvər/ΚΠ
1918 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 18 Mar. 6/1 To measure up to the 1918 standard, the thrifty citizen of other years must be a super-saver and the thrifty housewife must bow to all edicts of Mr. Hoover et al.
1935 News (Frederick, Maryland) 14 Feb. 3/2 (advt.) 44c Super Savers. Men's Work or Dress Hose. 4 pairs for 44c.
1987 Working Mother Nov. 44/3 You won't be able to get a supersaver fare for holiday season travel.
2006 Trav. Weekly (Nexis) 16 June If you want to win the specialist subject round in Mastermind, make your life's work the study of rail tariff from supersavers to Virgin value fares.
2010 E. Kay 60-minute Money Workout ii. 32 When Spendthrift Sarah finally learns the value of living within her means, she can become a supersaver.
super-self n. /ˈsjuːpəsɛlf/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəsɛlf/
, /ˈsuːpəsɛlf//ˈsjuːpəsɛlf/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsɛlf/
a higher or better part, version, or aspect of one's self./ˈsupərˌsɛlf/ΚΠ
1896 G. A. Gates in J. P. Coyle Imperial Christ Introd. p. xxxvii This manhood which we are to cherish with such jealousy is a kind of super self or self beyond the self.
1918 K. Richmond Educ. for Liberty ii. vi. 251 The implication which is involved in the whole idea of a super-self is that it is, literally and quantitatively, more than the conscious self, in virtue of its essential union with other super-selves.
1978 Philos. Stud. 34 275 To say that Jones' awareness events are genidentical..is not to imply that the four-dimensional entity is a super-self that is simultaneously experiencing its total history.
2005 M. J. Andersen Portable Prairie 137 To create, an artist had to commit an act of self-erasure. But then, it seemed, upon resurfacing, he..became a great man, a kind of super-self.
2006 D. Maleuvre Relig. of Reality viii. 115 It seems as though belief in human agency is merely shifted from the individual to a sort of superself that is all the more autonomous and omnipotent for being impossible to pinpoint.
super soap n. /ˈsjuːpə səʊp/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpə səʊp/
, /ˈsuːpə səʊp//ˈsjuːpə səʊp/U.S. /ˈsupər ˌsoʊp/
†(a) a soap containing an excess of oil or fat relative to alkali (obsolete rare); (b) a soap possessing exceptional cleaning power or other beneficial properties; (c) an especially melodramatic, compelling, or successful soap opera./ˈsupər ˌsoʊp/ΚΠ
1818 Ann. Philos. 12 194 The tendency which these bodies have to form a super-soap as well as a neutral soap.
1914 Daily Mail 27 May 11/1 (advt.) The fragrance of Palmolive is exquisite and uncommon. There is no purer soap, in fact it is a super-soap, as it combines the qualities of a cleanser with those of a skin food.
1944 Newsweek 10 Jan. 79/1 The Hummerts' Super Soaps. There is hardly a weekday hour between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. when at least one of Frank and Anne Hummert's programs isn't on a national network.
2003 D. Hobson Soap Opera ii. 70 The most famous cliffhanger was ‘Who Shot JR?’ in the American supersoap Dallas.
2004 S. van Dulken Amer. Inventions 138 Since about 1998, the phrase super soap has sometimes been used to refer to the recent crop of anti-bacterial soaps that are crowding regular soaps off the shelves.
supersound n. /ˈsjuːpəsaʊnd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəsaʊnd/
, /ˈsuːpəsaʊnd//ˈsjuːpəsaʊnd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsaʊnd/
sound of too high a frequency to be perceived by humans; = ultrasound n.; (also) sound of an intensity above the threshold of pain./ˈsupərˌsaʊnd/ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > thing heard > [noun] > sound > supersound or ultrasound
supersound1920
ultrasound1923
ultrasonics1924
1920 R. A. Millikan in R. M. Yerkes New World Sci. iii. 47 Super-sound signaling under water was successfully accomplished by Dr. Langevin and applied experimentally in submarine detection.
1942 Pop. Sci. Monthly Feb. 49/2 Sound waves too powerful for the human system to bear, and others too high in pitch for the human ear to hear, are new miracle-working tools in science and industry. In dozens of laboratories, scientists are perfecting sound-generating devices, and discovering new uses for supersound and ultrasound.
1952 Chambers's Jrnl. 1 June 363 Scientists have been having the time of their lives exploring super sound.
2008 S. V. Szokolay Introd. Archit. Sci. (ed. 2) 213 Above the latter there may be super-sounds, but there is no specific term for the below threshold sounds.
superspreader n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsprɛdə/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsprɛdə/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsprɛdə//ˈsjuːpəˌsprɛdə/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsprɛdər/
an individual infected with a (pathogenic) microorganism who transmits it to an unusually large number of other individuals./ˈsupərˌsprɛdər/ΚΠ
1973 Jrnl. Infectious Dis. 128 362/2 One idea that would merit special attention is the occasional ‘superspreader’: how frequently he occurs, how infectious he is, and how he is characterized.
2003 N.Y. Times 15 Apr. f6/4 History's most famous super-spreader was Typhoid Mary.
2005 HIV Plus July 4/1 The Hollywood horror angle to this scenario is that the ‘superspreader’ may have no idea he is infected.
superstation n. /ˈsjuːpəˌsteɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌsteɪʃn/
, /ˈsuːpəˌsteɪʃn//ˈsjuːpəˌsteɪʃn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌsteɪʃ(ə)n/
chiefly U.S. a very large station (in various senses); (now) spec. an (often ostensibly local) independent television station which extends its geographical coverage by transmitting via satellite to viewers of cable networks./ˈsupərˌsteɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1916 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 55 43/2 The interconnecting of most of the existing stations should precede the building of a few large superstations.
1960 Wall St. Jrnl. 1 Apr. 15/1 Early this year, the [petrol] firm closed eight smaller stations.., bidding for the town's traffic with a single ‘Superstation’.
1977 N.Y. Times 28 Nov. 60/3 A..‘super station’..is merely an ordinary local television station..that, in effect, becomes a national station when its signal is picked up by satellite and distributed to cable systems around the country.
2000 E. Abbott & B. M. Pellerin in P. F. Korsching et al. Having All Right Connections vii. 141 When cable began providing additional value in the form of independent superstations, such as HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime, sales increased.
superstorm n. /ˈsjuːpəstɔːm/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəstɔːm/
, /ˈsuːpəstɔːm//ˈsjuːpəstɔːm/U.S. /ˈsupərˌstɔrm/
a powerful and destructive storm that affects a very large area./ˈsupərˌstɔrm/ΚΠ
1919 Wireless World Apr. 34/2 The effect to which we refer cannot be due to any ordinary electrical atmospheric condition of the atmosphere and may result from local super-storms of ‘strays’.
1977 D. H. Miller Water at Surface of Earth ii. 27 One tends to think of the hypothetical probable maximum rainstorm as some sort of remote, unapproachable fiction. It is a shock when a real event comes close to this ideal; yet such a super-storm happens every once in a while.
2011 D. Koontz 77 Shadow Street xxiii. 191 He had no interest whatsoever in ordinary weather, only in the superstorms that one day would scour cities off the face of the earth.
superstrain n. /ˈsjuːpəstreɪn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəstreɪn/
, /ˈsuːpəstreɪn//ˈsjuːpəstreɪn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌstreɪn/
an exceptional breed or variety of animal, plant, etc.; (in later use) spec. a strain of microorganism that has become resistant to drugs or especially virulent; cf. superbug n. 1./ˈsupərˌstreɪn/ΚΠ
1917 Poultry Success May 19/3 (advt.) Readers of this publication may have a copy if genuinely interested in this superstrain of poultry.
1973 Amer. Biol. Teacher 35 360/1 His delight with the superstrains of rice and wheat of the ‘green revolution’ happen to coincide with grimly bad news from the fields.
1976 Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner 17 Nov. 12 a/3 The public health threat posed by the super strain of gonorrhea prompted the get tough policy.
2009 C. Prelitz Green made Easy vii. 75 They [sc. antibacterial soaps] may also help create superstrains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
super-strength n. and adj. As noun/ˈsjuːpəstrɛŋ(k)θ/, /ˌsjuːpəˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəstrɛŋ(k)θ/
, /ˈsuːpəstrɛŋ(k)θ//ˈsjuːpəstrɛŋ(k)θ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌstrɛŋ(k)θ/
, As adjective also/ˈsupərˌstrɛŋ(k)θ/Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/
, /ˌsuːpəˈstrɛŋ(k)θ//ˌsjuːpəˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/U.S. /ˌsupərˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/
(a) n. very great strength; (also) superhuman strength; (b) adj. (esp. of a product) extremely durable, powerful, etc./ˌsupərˈstrɛŋ(k)θ/ΚΠ
1884 Househ. Words 19 Jan. 233/1 To compensate for lack of exercise, the man was possessed of the super-strength that comes to the insane in moments of paroxysm.
1910 Walden's Stationer & Printer 25 Apr. 19 (advt.) Super strength papers.
2008 S. MacBride Flesh House xxix. 224 The walls were blotchy where the super-strength bleach had eaten away the colour.
2009 M. Cody Powerless xxiii. 255 Unlike Clay, Daniel wasn't invulnerable. He had no super-strength to protect him.
supersulcus n. /ˌsjuːpəˈsʌlkəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsʌlkəs/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsʌlkəs//ˌsjuːpəˈsʌlkəs/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsəlkəs/
Anatomy and Zoology a major sulcus; an exceptionally large or deep sulcus./ˌsupərˈsəlkəs/ΚΠ
1844 T. Brown Illustr. Recent Conchol. Great Brit. & Ireland (ed. 2) 95/1 Surface of a grayish ash-colour, and finely striated concentrically; with a few super sulci, which form deeper transverse zones.
2010 Folia Morphologica 69 128 Segmental arteries and veins constantly exist and run in the central supersulcus of the corresponding vertebral body's side.
supertask n. /ˈsuːpətask/, /ˈsjuːpətɑːsk/, /ˈsjuːpətask/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpətɑːsk/
, /ˈsuːpətɑːsk//ˈsuːpətask//ˈsjuːpətɑːsk//ˈsjuːpətask/U.S. /ˈsupərˌtæsk/
(a) a very difficult or ambitious task; (also) a task consisting of a number of smaller or subordinate ones; (b) Philosophy a task (paradoxically) consisting of an infinite number of steps to be carried out within a finite period of time./ˈsupərˌtæsk/ΚΠ
1912 Mining & Sci. Press 4 May 617/2 To successfully develop a new form of government under such a financial load is surely a super-task, calling for super-men.
1954 J. F. Thomson in Analysis 15 2 Let us say, for brevity, that a man who has completed all of an infinite number of tasks (of some given kind) has completed a super-task (of some associated kind).
2002 J. Tilly & E. M. Burke Ant 251 Some seemingly duplicate tasks will be consolidated into one supertask.
2010 N. Huggett Everywhere & Everywhen ii. 21 The staccato run does not provide support for the Zenoan opponent of supertasks, since it is a supertask that can be completed.
supertree n. /ˈsjuːpətriː/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpətriː/
, /ˈsuːpətriː//ˈsjuːpətriː/U.S. /ˈsupərˌtri/
(a) a tree bred or genetically modified to have some quality to an unusual degree (now rare); (b) (chiefly Biology) a dendrogram which represents a consensus between two or more subsidiary dendrograms, esp. ones used for phylogenetic studies./ˈsupərˌtri/ΚΠ
1944 Sci. Monthly June 445/1 Some investigators believe that, by the..development of hybrids, it is possible to produce supertrees which will yield usable timber in a small fraction of the time now required.
1983 Amer. Biol. Teacher 45 389/2 A demonstration of the ease with which so-called ‘supertree’ pine boards can be cracked with bare hands is very effective.
1986 Jrnl. Classif. 3 335 Given two dendrograms..which have some but not all of their base points in common, a supertree is a dendrogram in which each of the original trees can be regarded as samples.
2006 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 273 688/1 We present a phylogenetic supertree for several hundred species of frogs.
supertyphoon n. /ˈsjuːpətʌɪˌfuːn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpətʌɪˌfuːn/
, /ˈsuːpətʌɪˌfuːn//ˈsjuːpətʌɪˌfuːn/U.S. /ˈsupərˌtaɪˌfun/
an extremely powerful typhoon (also in extended use); (Meteorology) a tropical cyclone in the region of the western Pacific Ocean with sustained wind speeds in excess of 130 knots (240 km per hour)./ˈsupərˌtaɪˌfun/ΚΠ
1942 Atlanta (Georgia) Constit. 5 Jan. 5/2 We are thankful for your visit to Pearl Harbor—And we'll not be forgetting it Soon. When you get ready to return your Visit You'll think it's a super typhoon.
1953 Panama City (Florida) News 19 Jan. 12/4 The world's largest electric fan, capable of creating a super-typhoon with winds of more than 700 miles an hour, is being built for the Air Force at Westinghouse Electric Corp.
1954 Charleston (W. Virginia) Daily Mail 11 Sept. 1/7 Spawned a week ago in the central Pacific, the super-typhoon packed a vicious wallop.
1966 Mariners Weather Log May 73/1 It was a record year for ‘super typhoons’, those tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of 130 kt. or more.
1997 N.Y. Times 17 Oct. c21/4 Forecasters expect Joan to reach the status of a super typhoon, with winds of at least 150 miles an hour.
2009 Guardian 3 Nov. 37/3 Residents of the Philippines recently breathed a sigh of relief as the much feared supertyphoon Lupit failed to make landfall during its strongest phase.
super VHS n. /ˌsjuːpə viːeɪtʃˈɛs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpə viːeɪtʃˈɛs/
, /ˌsuːpə viːeɪtʃˈɛs//ˌsjuːpə viːeɪtʃˈɛs/U.S. /ˌsupər ˌviˌeɪtʃˈɛs/
a type of high-quality video recording system that is compatible with VHS but with better image resolution; abbreviated S-VHS n. at S n.1 Additions./ˌsupər ˌviˌeɪtʃˈɛs/ΚΠ
1984 Financial Times 18 July 18/5 Meanwhile JVC have stated that continuing inprovements [sic] in the VHS format will eventually lead to a Super VHS—perhaps using metal tape and improved signal processing.
1995 Pop. Sci. July 40/4 Owners of Super-VHS (S-VHS) video recorders are accustomed to watching time-shifted programs that nearly match the picture quality of the real-time broadcast.
2002 Amer. Photo May 23/1 JVC's sophisticated new VCR..does just that, employing its digital signal processing..to improve the playback of standard VHS and Super VHS tapes.
superweed n. /ˈsjuːpəwiːd/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəwiːd/
, /ˈsuːpəwiːd//ˈsjuːpəwiːd/U.S. /ˈsupərˌwid/
a weed that is extremely robust or resistant to herbicides or natural checks on growth; (in later use) esp. one resulting from genetic modification./ˈsupərˌwid/ΚΠ
1939 Through Leaves Jan. 13 These are the super-weeds, the so-called noxious species, mostly perennials, with spreading or creeping root systems.
1977 N.Y. Times 20 Feb. 16/3 What if scientists inadvertently produced a super germ or super weed capable of upsetting the entire balance of life on earth?
2008 Ecologist July 45/2 There were fears that naturally occurring grasses could become contaminated, creating superweeds with increased resistance to pesticide.
Categories »
(d) Music. Higher in pitch. See super-octave n.
d. Forming verbs and adjectives, with the sense ‘beyond in time, later’. See also superannate v., superannate adj., superannuate adj., supervive v.† superlast v. Obsolete transitive to last beyond, outlast.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > have duration [verb (transitive)] > outlast
to live out1535
outlast1570
outwear1579
outlive1582
supervive1586
outflourish1594
to stand out1600
outdure1611
outstanda1616
outsit1633
survive1633
endure1636
stay1639
outmeasure1646
superlast1648
outstaya1652
last1658
tarrya1662
superannuate1820
outrange1887
to see out1897
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. N2 Nor thinke these Ages..Shall live, and thou not superlast all times.
e. † (a) In Peter Heylyn's Extraneus Vapulans: forming verbal nouns after Hamon L'Estrange's use of superannuate (see superannuate v. 3a), with reference to dating events (so many years) too early, as super-semi-annuating, super-triennuating, etc. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1656 P. Heylyn Extraneus Vapulans 102 We have here a super-semi-annuating (a fine word of our Authors new fashion) in making Doctor Laud Bishop of Bathe and Wells, seven moneths at least before his time: a superannuating in the great rout given to Tilly by the King of Sweden placed by our Author in the year 1630 whereas that battle was not fought till the year next following; a super-triennuating in placing the Synod of Dort..in the year 1615, that Synod not being holden untill three years after, and if I do not finde a super-superannuating [sic; read super-sexannuating] (that is to say, a lapse of six years) either in the Pamphlet or the History, I am content, our Author shall enjoy..a publick triumph.
(b) Forming nouns and adjectives referring to events occurring before a specified period or point in time, as super-creation, etc. See also superlapsarian n. and adj.
ΚΠ
a1680 T. Goodwin Disc. Election i. i, in Wks. (1683) II. 1 The Necessity of an Election, or Super-creation Grace, if either Angels or Men..be certainly..Saved.
1743 J. Brine Refut. Arminian Princ. 26 Special Faith becomes a Duty, only upon the Supposition of the Infusion of super-Creation-Principles, into the Souls of Men.
1871 Christian Ambassador 9 254 And this is one of the apparently strong but really flimsy data on which the super-biblical antiquity of man is made to rest!
1938 Stud. in Script. Dec. 27 And therefore did God by that election also ordain those whom He singled out unto a super-creation union with Himself and communication of Himself, as our highest and ultimate end.
f. Sport (originally Boxing). Forming nouns and adjectives denoting a weight class immediately above that specified by the second element, as super featherweight, super middleweight, super welterweight, etc. Also in extended use. Cf. super heavyweight n. and adj.
ΚΠ
1964 Times of India 23 Aug. 11/7 Bruno Visintin of Italy retained his European super welterweight boxing title at San Remo on Thursday.
1987 N.Y. Times 22 Feb. s7/2 Czyz experienced difficulties with his manager, Lou Duva, and split with him, re-emerging soon after as a super middleweight and then a light heavyweight.
1990 Mother Jones Apr. 62/1 The advance helped transform Rushdie..into super-cruiserweight status, and virtually assured that the book would be treated as news, not literature.
1996 Black Belt June 70/2 Orlando Rivera (14-3) won a decision over Luis Ruiz (17-4) in an East Coast super light-heavyweight championship bout.
2006 A. Pitluk Standing Eight 135 It was a national title that catapulted El Matador onto a short list of top-ranked super featherweights.
3. Forming adjectives and verbs (and related nouns and adverbs) designating something as possessing the quality expressed by the second element to the highest, a very high, or an excessive degree.
a. In adverbial relation to the adjective constituting the second element, with the sense ‘exceedingly, extremely, very highly’ or ‘excessively, overly’, and in related nouns.
(a) In rare and ad-hoc combinations, as superbenign, supercurious, superdainty, superelegant, superexact, superexcedent, super-famous, superingenious, superloyal, supermarvellous, superofficious, supersaintly, superstoical, superswift, supertragic, superzealous, etc.
ΚΠ
1575 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 92 O my soverayne goodman, howe can your owne soverayne joye..but shape a benigne answer to so benigne and superbenigne a replye?
1579 E. Spenser Let. to G. Harvey in Poet. Wks. (1912) 638/2 With many superhartie Commendations, and Recommendations to your selfe, and all my friendes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 188 Kate of Kate-hall, my super-daintie Kate. View more context for this quotation
1619 W. Sclater Expos. 1 Thess. (1630) 225 To attaine the vtmost superexcedent end [sc. eternal happiness].
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 377 A super-zealous, an over-vehement animosity.
1656 Disc. Auxiliary Beauty 56 Such a super-stoicall piece of Philosophy.
1699 J. Evelyn Acetaria 105 Eighthly, (according to the super-curious) that the Knife, with which the Sallet Herbs are cut..be of Silver.
1713 Right of Monarchy Asserted 59 This past better with the Irish Protestants, than that Super-Loyal Strain of our famous Dr. Tillotson..did with the Church of England Men here.
1716 S. Butler Irish Tales 45 What super-Officious Hand hath brought me back to Life!
?1750 ‘Merry Andrew’ Don Quixote in Miniature iii. 12 Don Quixote sitting at a Writing Desk, hastily scribbling this Super-elegant Epistle.
1772 R. Griffith Something New I. xix. 134 The super-ingenious Doctor Pike, an other great cabalist, has undertaken to prove, [etc.].
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. (Bohn) xxiii. 290 A series of super-tragic starts, pauses, screams.
1833 C. Lamb Barrenness Imaginative Faculty in Last Ess. Elia 183 Those high aspirations of a super-chivalrous gallantry.
1834 W. Beckford Italy; with Sketches Spain & Portugal II. 208 To all these super-marvellous narrations, the missionary appeared to listen with implicit faith.
1887 W. E. H. Lecky Hist. Eng. 18th Cent. VI. xxiii. 299 The combination of mean action and supersaintly profession.
1926 Spectator 19 June 1042/2 Their fussy officers took a brutal delight in making them superexact.
1927 Glasgow Herald 1 June 15 The super-swift transport of the human body over vast distances.
1959 Pop. Sci. Oct. 65/3 (advt.) Mimeographing—Highest Quality, Super Quick Service.
1981 Ebony Nov. 48/2 How do you keep your feet on the ground, knowing that you are super-famous, super-rich and super-talented?
2008 J. Goode in F. Allhoff Wine & Philos. ix. 138 Some of the appeal of the super-expensive trophy wines lies in their scarcity.
(b)
superabsorbent adj. /ˌsuːpərəbˈsɔːb(ə)nt/, /ˌsjuːpərəbˈzɔːb(ə)nt/, /ˌsjuːpərəbˈsɔːb(ə)nt/, /ˌsupərˌæbˈzɔrbənt/, /ˌsupərəbˈsɔrbənt/, /ˌsupərˌæbˈsɔrbənt/
Brit. /ˌsuːpərəbˈzɔːb(ə)nt/
, /ˌsuːpərəbˈzɔːb(ə)nt//ˌsuːpərəbˈsɔːb(ə)nt//ˌsjuːpərəbˈzɔːb(ə)nt//ˌsjuːpərəbˈsɔːb(ə)nt/U.S. /ˌsupərəbˈzɔrbənt/
, /ˌsupərəbˈzɔrbənt//ˌsupərˌæbˈzɔrbənt//ˌsupərəbˈsɔrbənt//ˌsupərˌæbˈsɔrbənt/ΚΠ
1914 Amer. Wool & Cotton Reporter 13 Aug. 1067/2 If an extremely soft and super absorbent cotton is the desired result, the use of ordinary bleaching powder should be avoided.
1987 Cincinnati Aug. p45/1 P&G began selling the super-absorbent Ultra Pampers in Japan in January 1985.
2011 L. Chattman Bread Making i. 23 Wheat is superabsorbent and with sufficient kneading will accept a remarkable amount of liquid.
superactive adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈaktɪv/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈaktɪv/
, /ˌsuːpərˈaktɪv//ˌsjuːpərˈaktɪv/U.S. /ˌsupərˈæktɪv/
/ˌsupərˈæktɪv/ΚΠ
1654 E. Wolley tr. ‘G. de Scudéry’ Curia Politiæ 87 Hee who is too slow may equally be quickened by him who is superactive and vigorous [Fr. celuy qui seroit trop prompt & trop hardy en ses desseins, pourroit corriger à son tour, celuy qui seroit trop lent en ses resolutions].
1825 Anderson's Q. Jrnl. Med. Sci. Apr. 203 Metastasis is not a phenomenon of debility, but the effect of a superactive irregularity of the vital properties.
1949 Rotarian Sept. 29/1 It sounds as though she had a superactive imagination.
2009 Post & Courier (Charleston, S. Carolina) (Nexis) 17 Nov. d1 I've always been superactive. Always on the go.
superadmirable adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈadm(ə)rəbl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈadm(ə)rəbl/
, /ˌsuːpərˈadm(ə)rəbl//ˌsjuːpərˈadm(ə)rəbl/U.S. /ˌsupərˈædm(ə)rəb(ə)l/
[compare post-classical Latin superadmirabilis (a1536)] /ˌsupərˈædm(ə)rəb(ə)l/ΚΠ
1570 tr. Pope Martin V in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (rev. ed.) I. 769/1 The moste holsome and superadmirable sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ.
?1611 H. Broughton Censure Late Transl. for Churches iii. I cleared the text..to super-admirable report.
1747 tr. Soliloquies Glorious Doctor St. Augustine xxxi. 106 Holy Trinity, truly super-admirable, super-ineffable, super-inscrutable, [etc.].
1840 Teetotaler 19 Sept. 98/2 If you wish for a proof of my future son-in law's super-admirable, transcendant, and unparalleled abilities, you have only to peruse this effusion.
2005 T. Rutledge Getting Engaged 142 What you just did was super-admirable. It took heaps of courage.
superathletic adj. /ˌsuːpərəθˈlɛtɪk/, /ˌsjuːpəraθˈlɛtɪk/, /ˌsjuːpərəθˈlɛtɪk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəraθˈlɛtɪk/
, /ˌsuːpəraθˈlɛtɪk//ˌsuːpərəθˈlɛtɪk//ˌsjuːpəraθˈlɛtɪk//ˌsjuːpərəθˈlɛtɪk/U.S. /ˌsupərˌæθˈlɛdɪk/
/ˌsupərˌæθˈlɛdɪk/ΚΠ
1916 Scribner's Mag. Aug. 204/1 The quite abnormal and super-athletic activities of his own brains.
1963 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 20 Jan. 1/1 All tall gals are expected to be super-athletic.
2009 T. Dean Unlimited Intimacy ii. 120 Mainstream gay porn..requires its performers to be either beautiful, superathletic, very well endowed, or preferably all three.
superdelicate adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈdɛlᵻkət/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈdɛlᵻkət/
, /ˌsuːpəˈdɛlᵻkət//ˌsjuːpəˈdɛlᵻkət/U.S. /ˌsupərˈdɛlᵻkət/
/ˌsupərˈdɛlᵻkət/ΚΠ
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. O3 Her super-delicate bastard daughter ceremonious dissembling Italy.
1777 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 6 Feb. I think this super-delicate critic has shewn no great judgment.
1888 E. Gerard Land beyond Forest II. xliv. 220 Some people..there are, of super-delicate digestions.
2010 Baby (BabyCenter) 160/2 Your baby has super-delicate skin that needs special care.
superdense adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈdɛns/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈdɛns/
, /ˌsuːpəˈdɛns//ˌsjuːpəˈdɛns/U.S. /ˌsupərˈdɛns/
/ˌsupərˈdɛns/ΚΠ
1903 Monthly Notices Royal Astron. Soc. 63 580 (table) Super dense silicate flint.
1930 Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 42 155 Such ‘super-dense’ matter does not lead to any contradictions with modern physical theories.
1977 Time (Atlantic ed.) 19 Sept. 50/1 The whole principle of diesel ignition is to raise the temperature of the fuel mixture by compressing it into a superdense mass in the cylinder.
2004 Focus Feb. 30/1 Evidence..to show that stars blew up as supernovae or collapsed as superdense white dwarfs.
super-easy adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈiːzi/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈiːzi/
, /ˌsuːpərˈiːzi//ˌsjuːpərˈiːzi/U.S. /ˌsupərˈizi/
/ˌsupərˈizi/ΚΠ
1841 C. G. F. Gore Cecil III. vi. 280 The last new patent super-easy easy-chair.
1921 Electr. World 9 Apr. 824/1 A super-easy payment plan, preferably one allowing the consumer to pay for the wiring in monthly installments of not more than $5 each.
2011 R. Thayne Blackberry Summer ix. 192 That's probably the bread sticks. They're just made with frozen dough, but they're really good and super-easy.
super-efficient adj. /ˌsjuːpərᵻˈfɪʃnt/, /ˌsupəriˈfɪʃənt/
Brit. /ˌsuːpərᵻˈfɪʃnt/
, /ˌsuːpərᵻˈfɪʃnt//ˌsjuːpərᵻˈfɪʃnt/U.S. /ˌsupərəˈfɪʃənt/
, /ˌsupərəˈfɪʃənt//ˌsupəriˈfɪʃənt/ΚΠ
1720 Casuist 13 Jan. 46/1 The secret Impulse of Nature, which prompted the Soul to look for, and acknowledge some super-efficient Cause of its Existence and Duration.
1857 Tait's Edinb. Mag. July 389/1 The first [specimen] would have been inefficient, the second super-efficient, and both bad—both dangerous.
1922 A. P. Terhune Black Gold ii. 43 This stone-blind valet, so super-efficient in spite of his affliction.
2011 E. Smith DIY Solar Projects 18/2 Installing super-efficient appliances is a major step towards making a smaller, less expensive solar array satisfy the home's energy needs.
supereloquent adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈɛləkwənt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈɛləkwənt/
, /ˌsuːpərˈɛləkwənt//ˌsjuːpərˈɛləkwənt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɛləkwənt/
/ˌsupərˈɛləkwənt/ΚΠ
1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 163 Mercury..the most-nimble, and supereloquent God.
1654 J. Reynolds Flower of Fidelity (new ed.) 2 From his supereloquent Tongue flew the very inchanting Phrases of admired Demosthenes.
1873 B. Harte Episode of Fiddletown 121 Looking in her eyes, and carrying on a conversation in their supereloquent language.
2008 E. Franklin At Face Value xx. 230 My signing is limited, so I can't be super eloquent.
superfast adj. /ˌsuːpəˈfast/, /ˌsjuːpəˈfɑːst/, /ˌsjuːpəˈfast/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfɑːst/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfɑːst//ˌsuːpəˈfast//ˌsjuːpəˈfɑːst//ˌsjuːpəˈfast/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfæst/
/ˌsupərˈfæst/ΚΠ
1911 Evening Rec. (Greenville, Pa.) 13 July 3/1 He was going at a super-fast clip.
1980 Lok Sabha Deb. (India) 5 Aug. 264 A superfast train like the K.K. Express runs late by 5 to 6 hours.
2010 National Infrastructure Plan 2010 (H. M. Treasury) iv. 33 The Government..is committed to the UK having the best superfast broadband network in Europe.
super-fresh adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈfrɛʃ/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfrɛʃ/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfrɛʃ//ˌsjuːpəˈfrɛʃ/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfrɛʃ/
/ˌsupərˈfrɛʃ/ΚΠ
1887 Logansport (Indiana) Daily Pharos 6 July At this juncture the ultra-cheeky reporter of an evening paper..arose and in a super-fresh manner poked the statesman in the most embonpoint portion of his anatomy.
1940 Life 8 July 10/3 (advt.) The glorious freshness of Birds Eye is sealed in less than 4 hours after picking by the miracle of Quick-Freezing. They're not just market-fresh..they're really super-fresh!
2011 L. Haun Carpenter's Life as told by Houses xii. 253 Those of us who buy at our local markets feel as if we are at least getting super-fresh food grown nearby and not flown in from Chile or even China.
superglorious adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈɡlɔːrɪəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈɡlɔːrɪəs/
, /ˌsuːpəˈɡlɔːrɪəs//ˌsjuːpəˈɡlɔːrɪəs/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɡlɔriəs/
[after post-classical Latin supergloriosus (Vulgate)] /ˌsupərˈɡlɔriəs/ΚΠ
1550 R. Hutchinson Image of God xx. f. lxxxxvv I wyll..shewe..that ther be three persons in the supergloriouse deitie.
1702 C. Beaumont J. Beaumont's Psyche (new ed.) xviii. xcix. 276 His superglorious most refined Nature.
1857 Knickerbocker Feb. 187 I shall never forget..how super-glorious I thought her.
2000 Amer. Journalism Rev. Jan. 60/2 The superglorious era of Otis [Chandler] was ending.
superhappy adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈhapi/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈhapi/
, /ˌsuːpəˈhapi//ˌsjuːpəˈhapi/U.S. /ˌsupərˈhæpi/
/ˌsupərˈhæpi/ΚΠ
1593 G. Harvey Pierces Supererogation 102 Superhappy Creatures, that haue illuminate vnderstanding.
1836 Morning Post 6 Aug. As the Chief Judge of this Court, the Right Hon. Thomas Erskine has 3,000l a year... Oh, happy, happy, superhappy Tom!!!
1999 Y. M. Murray What it takes to get to Vegas viii. 119 It was hard to be superhappy when we weren't getting along.
super-hip adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈhɪp/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈhɪp/
, /ˌsuːpəˈhɪp//ˌsjuːpəˈhɪp/U.S. /ˌsupərˈhɪp/
/ˌsupərˈhɪp/ΚΠ
1944 Billboard 28 Oct. 21/1 The fans are super-hip.
1983 M. Di Leo & E. Smith Two Californias iii. 84 He also bought super-hip City magazine and radio station KMPX.
2007 I. Muchnick Wrestling Babylon Introd. p. xviii If you're going to comment on wrestling while pretending to be super-hip, then tone-deafness with respect to tradition and background and context will come back to bite you.
super-hot adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈhɒt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈhɒt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈhɒt//ˌsjuːpəˈhɒt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈhɑt/
/ˌsupərˈhɑt/ΚΠ
1846 Musical World 1 Aug. 357/1 One of Rachel's performances on a super-hot evening at Liege.
1940 Pittsburgh Courier 24 Feb. 24/6 Robert Moore, the once super hot trumpeter in Count Basie's band, was confined to the Manhattan State Hospital for the Insane this week.
1994 N. Henbest & H. Couper Guide to Galaxy vii. 206/2 In the last century it [sc. FG Sagittae] appeared as a superhot star of the kind that we find in the centre of other planetary nebulae.
2011 G. Spikeman Beer, Chicks & Wargames x. 205 Two girls, one super-hot and the other okay-hot, came up to me and asked me to take a picture of them.
superluminous adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈl(j)uːmᵻnəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈl(j)uːmᵻnəs/
, /ˌsuːpəˈl(j)uːmᵻnəs//ˌsjuːpəˈl(j)uːmᵻnəs/U.S. /ˌsupərˈlumənəs/
/ˌsupərˈlumənəs/ΚΠ
1935 Astrophysical Jrnl. 82 192 If..they [sc. elliptical nebulae] consist of ‘super’ luminous bodies surrounded by a dust cloud, they may have totally insignificant mass.
1968 P. Moore tr. E. L. Schatzman Struct. Universe i. 15 If our present interpretations are correct, quasars are very remote and super-luminous.
2002 K. Heusch tr. H. Fritzsch Curvature of Spacetime xvii. 215 In quasars, the central black hole is surrounded by a lot of matter. That is the reason why there is a gigantic release of light energy. Astronomers are actually being blinded by the superluminous center.
super-refined adj. /ˌsjuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnd/, /ˌsupə(r)riˈfaɪnd/
Brit. /ˌsuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnd/
, /ˌsuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnd//ˌsjuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnd/U.S. /ˌsupə(r)rəˈfaɪnd/
, /ˌsupə(r)rəˈfaɪnd//ˌsupə(r)riˈfaɪnd/ΚΠ
1673 J. G. tr. F. C. in Two Lett. i. 8 Who could have thought that the House of Austria, those super-refined Sons of Rome, should be our only Supporters against a Popish King.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. ii. xxiii. 235 Sentimental super-refined ladies.
1888 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Oct. 3/2 The distinction is, perhaps, super-refined.
1977 Time 12 Sept. 58/2 The most conspicuous dietary change..has been an alpine increase in the consumption of hard fats, sugar and superrefined foods.
2010 New Yorker 27 Sept. 93/3 But that last nightmare is not one that plays well on the screen in this super-refined, distanced treatment.
super-smart adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈsmɑːt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsmɑːt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsmɑːt//ˌsjuːpəˈsmɑːt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsmɑrt/
/ˌsupərˈsmɑrt/ΚΠ
1870 Daily Evening Bull. (San Francisco) 19 Mar. Dr. Andreas Gassner expressly warns people suffering from hallucination, fixed ideas, etc., not to lightly believe an experienced and supersmart physician.
1949 Rotarian Apr. 62/1 (advt.) Fishermen! Golfers! Sportsmen! A sensational new idea in elastic-top socks! Qualitex English Rib Nylons..super-comfort for sports, super-smart for business or dress.
2010 L. Conrad Sugar & Spice xix. 169 She's super-smart, so make sure you use really big words when you talk to her.
super-soft adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈsɒft/, /ˌsupərˈsɑft/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsɒft/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsɒft//ˌsjuːpəˈsɒft/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsɔft/
, /ˌsupərˈsɔft//ˌsupərˈsɑft/ΚΠ
1819 Morning Post 28 Jan. Super soft Cambric Muslin, 27s. a piece of three dresses.
1942 Life 9 Mar. (verso front cover) (advt.) Ask your grocer for Pillsbury's super-soft Sno Sheen Cake Flour!
2009 B. Harris Home Studio Setup x. 170 One of the purposes of mastering is to make each song have similar levels so that one song isn't really loud and the next song is super-soft.
supersweet adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈswiːt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈswiːt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈswiːt//ˌsjuːpəˈswiːt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈswit/
/ˌsupərˈswit/ΚΠ
1593 N. Breton in R. S. Phœnix Nest 24 Sundrie flowres so super sweete of smell.
1858 Athenæum 10 July 56/2 A most elegantly liveried volume..containing a dozen of superfine, super-sweet ballads.
2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 Oct. d5/4 We gobbled up white asparagus napped with properly lemony hollandaise sauce and supersweet strawberries.
supertranscendent adj. /ˌsuːpətranˈsɛnd(ə)nt/, /ˌsjuːpətrɑːnˈsɛnd(ə)nt/, /ˌsjuːpətranˈsɛnd(ə)nt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpətrɑːnˈsɛnd(ə)nt/
, /ˌsuːpətrɑːnˈsɛnd(ə)nt//ˌsuːpətranˈsɛnd(ə)nt//ˌsjuːpətrɑːnˈsɛnd(ə)nt//ˌsjuːpətranˈsɛnd(ə)nt/U.S. /ˌsupərˌtræn(t)ˈsɛndənt/
[compare post-classical Latin supertranscendent-, supertranscendens, present participle of supertranscendere (4th cent.)] /ˌsupərˌtræn(t)ˈsɛndənt/ΚΠ
1641 G. Walker Hist. Creation iv. 80 Let us admire this free grace of God, and stand amazed at his wonderfull and supertranscendent bounty to mankind.
1775 ‘Layman’ Strictures on Churches of Rome, Eng. & Scotl. 302 He [sc. Christ] is in the most super-transcendent sense of delegation under the Almighty Father, intitled to the epithet God.
1897 J. F. Vallings Holy Spirit of Promise 199 The sitting on the Throne of God [is to be] no supertranscendent promise.
2007 G. Stamatellos Plotinus & Presocratics ii. 35 The One remains super-transcendent, at the apex of the metaphysical hierarchy.
supervirulent adj. /ˌsuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿln̩t/, /ˌsjuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿlənt/, /ˌsjuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿln̩t/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿlənt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿlənt//ˌsuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿln̩t//ˌsjuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿlənt//ˌsjuːpəˈvɪr(j)ᵿln̩t/U.S. /ˌsupərˈvɪr(j)ələnt/
/ˌsupərˈvɪr(j)ələnt/ΚΠ
1886 Med. News 23 Jan. 95/2 A super-virulent rabbit medulla would cause rabies in a rabbit in 7 days.
2005 Foreign Affairs 84 12 It became supervirulent and capable of killing a broad range of species.
(c) † super-benedict adj. [compare post-classical Latin superbenedictus (from c1100 in British sources; also in continental sources)] Obsolete rare supremely blessed.† super-omnivalent adj. Obsolete rare supremely omnipotent. † supersufferable n. [compare sufferable adj. 1] Obsolete extremely long-suffering.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > the Trinity > [adjective] > supremely blessed
super-benedict1683
1683 E. Hooker in J. Pordage Theologia Mystica Pref. Epist. 107 The ony True,..ever-adorabl and super-benedict Triune Deitie.
super-ceremonious adj. /ˌsjuːpəsɛrᵻˈməʊnɪəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsɛrᵻˈməʊnɪəs/
, /ˌsuːpəsɛrᵻˈməʊnɪəs//ˌsjuːpəsɛrᵻˈməʊnɪəs/U.S. /ˌsupərˌsɛrəˈmoʊniəs/
highly or excessively ceremonious; characterized by excessive ceremony./ˌsupərˌsɛrəˈmoʊniəs/ΚΠ
1650 J. Reynolds Flower of Fidelitie 169 On both sides was demonstrated such super-ceremonious courtesie, that for instant joy me thought my Muse stood silent.
1731 W. Asplin Alkibla Pt. II 109 What Precedent may be possibly found for this super-ceremonious Respect to the Altar.., I know not.
1841 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 500/2 This indecency I do not believe in, the Dons being super-ceremonious chaps, and not likely to indulge in the grimaces of Mounseers.
1957 Independent (Pasadena, Calif.) 6 June 1/1 Flagship USS Salem enters Grand Harbor just after dawn of a super-ceremonious day.
2001 in D. T. Linger No One Home xiv. 268 When I have to be ceremonious with the [school] principals, I'm super-ceremonious.
supercolossal adj. /ˌsjuːpəkəˈlɒsl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkəˈlɒsl/
, /ˌsuːpəkəˈlɒsl//ˌsjuːpəkəˈlɒsl/U.S. /ˌsupərkəˈlɑs(ə)l/
U.S. colloquial very large; (also) very good, stupendous./ˌsupərkəˈlɑs(ə)l/ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [adjective] > huge
unmeeteOE
unmeetlyOE
hugea1275
hideousc1330
infinitec1385
unmeasureda1398
unmeasurablec1405
hugyc1420
immeasurable1440
ingentc1450
unmeetlyc1450
giant1480
immense1490
monstrous?a1513
unmeasurely1513
hugeousa1529
unportable1537
enormous1544
enormc1560
giantly1561
immensible1579
rouncival1582
dismeasured1584
vast1585
immeasured1590
gargantuan1596
omnipotent1596
colossian1601
immane1601
prodigious1601
Polyphemian1602
Titanian1603
titanical1603
gigantical1604
immensive1604
gigantine1605
colossic1607
gigantean1611
Gogmagotical1612
gigantal?1614
Babylonian1617
leviathan1625
titanic1628
elephantine1631
gigantive1638
colossean1644
decumanal1652
immensurate1654
gigant1658
decuman1659
colossal1664
abnormous1710
Brobdingnagian1728
Brobdingnag1731
Pantagruelian1737
heroic1785
Patagonian1786
seven-league1787
Titan1793
gigantic1797
seven-leagued1799
mammoth1801
dimensionless1813
tremendous1813
gigantesque1821
monster1837
titanesque1838
monstre1840
giantlike1847
leviathanic1848
pythonic1851
Babylonic1853
supercolossal1871
giantesque1909
behemothian1910
supergiant1919
ginormous1942
big-ass1945
Ozymandian1961
fuck-off1962
mega1968
humongous1970
monstro1970
big-assed1972
big-arsed1996
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adjective] > very excellent or first-rate
gildenc1225
prime1402
rare1483
grand1542
holy1599
pre-excelling1600
paregal1602
classic1604
of (the) first rate1650
solary1651
first rate1674
superb1720
tip-top1722
tip-top-gallant1730
swell1819
topping1822
of the first (also finest, best, etc.) water1826
No. 11829
brag1836
A11837
A No. 11838
number one1839
awful1843
bully1851
first class1852
class1867
champion1880
too1881
tipping1887
alpha plus1898
bonzer1898
grade A1911
gold star1917
world-ranking1921
five-star1936
too much1937
first line1938
vintage1939
supercolossal1947
top1953
alpha1958
fantabulous1959
beauty1963
supercool1965
world-class1967
primo1973
1871 Amer. Bibliopolist Jan. 35/1 This is a super-colossal folio, and would form a good corner-stone for an American country church.
1947 P. G. Wodehouse Full Moon v. 92 ‘Her profile. Lovely, don't you think?’ ‘Yup.’ ‘And her eyes. Super-colossal.’
1990 Midwest Living Feb. 102/1 The monster hot-fudge sundae satisfies even supercolossal appetites.
superdeformation n. /ˌsjuːpədiːfɔːˈmeɪʃn/, /ˌsupərˌdɛfərˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ Nuclear Physics the property or state of being superdeformed.
Brit. /ˌsuːpədiːfɔːˈmeɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpədiːfɔːˈmeɪʃn//ˌsjuːpədiːfɔːˈmeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌdiˌfɔrˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/
, /ˌsupərˌdiˌfɔrˈmeɪʃ(ə)n//ˌsupərˌdɛfərˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1983 Nucl. Physics A. 409 280c (table) Shape change and superdeformation at high spin.
2010 F. Yang & J. H. Hamilton Mod. Atomic & Nucl. Physics (rev. ed.) xi. 533 Centered around N = Z = 38 and around Z = 38, N = 60, 62 are two new islands of superdeformation with quadrupole deformation β2 ≃ 0.40–0.45.
superdeformed adj. /ˌsjuːpədᵻˈfɔːmd/, /ˌsupərdiˈfɔrmd/ Nuclear Physics (of an atomic nucleus) having an exceptionally elongated shape, esp. with a ratio between its long and its short axis of two to one or greater; of or relating to such nuclei.
Brit. /ˌsuːpədᵻˈfɔːmd/
, /ˌsuːpədᵻˈfɔːmd//ˌsjuːpədᵻˈfɔːmd/U.S. /ˌsupərdəˈfɔrmd/
, /ˌsupərdəˈfɔrmd//ˌsupərdiˈfɔrmd/ΚΠ
1968 Nucl. Physics A. 116 53 This is the so-called superdeformed region which corresponds to the unphysical situation when the ground state rotational band collapses into one level.
1987 Science 6 Mar. 1252/3 (title) Collectivity at high spin in deformed and superdeformed nuclei.
2006 W. D. Loveland et al. Mod. Nucl. Chem. xi. 306 A general class of nuclei, called superdeformed nuclei, that have shapes with axes ratios of 2 : 1.
superfatty adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈfati/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈfati/
, /ˌsuːpəˈfati//ˌsjuːpəˈfati/U.S. /ˌsupərˈfædi/
containing a very large amount of fat; spec. = superfatted adj. 2./ˌsupərˈfædi/ΚΠ
1865 W. Strange Restoration of Health i. iii. 113 The ill-elaborated and super-fatty material taken into the blood is ill suited to nourish the muscular organs.
1890 Birmingham Med. Rev. May 288 (advt.) A superfatty soap containing no free alkali, resin, or other ingredient harmful to the skin.
1987 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 19 May It's much, much better to buy a non-perfumed, super-fatty bar of soap. Avoid the scented, sudsy ones, for the most part.
2001 N.Y. Times 10 Jan. f3/2 But a super-fatty piece of pork will make the dish taste greasy.
superhard adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈhɑːd/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈhɑːd/
, /ˌsuːpəˈhɑːd//ˌsjuːpəˈhɑːd/U.S. /ˌsupərˈhɑrd/
(a) (of a material) extremely hard; (b) very difficult./ˌsupərˈhɑrd/ΚΠ
1904 Michigan Alumnus Feb. (Advertiser section) 21 (advt.) The best Moulded Records are not only gold-moulded; they are super-hard.
1938 Pop. Sci. Dec. 84/1 Ice-boat owners are getting more speed..by coating the steel runners with a modern, super-hard alloy.
1953 N.Y. Times 18 Oct. 18/3 (advt.) Plextone-finish..is superhard to crack, chip or peel.
1974 Alcalde (Univ. Texas) Mar. 31/3 One night after I returned from a super hard calculus final and was pretty down, I had a little impromptu party with some of my friends.
2004 U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technol. Nov. 28/2 She participated in research on nitride superlattice thin films for superhard coatings to be used for cutting tools.
2010 A. Calhoun Instinctive Parenting 54 Just try really hard to be nice and generous even though it's superhard to not feel overwhelmed.
super-illustrious adj. /ˌsjuːpərɪˈlʌstrɪəs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɪˈlʌstrɪəs/
, /ˌsuːpərɪˈlʌstrɪəs//ˌsjuːpərɪˈlʌstrɪəs/U.S. /ˌsupərᵻˈləstriəs/
[after post-classical Latin superillustris (from 13th cent. in British sources; also in continental sources)] highly esteemed or exalted; spec. as an honorific epithet of a monarch./ˌsupərᵻˈləstriəs/ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [adjective] > specific epithets for persons of rank > for royalty or other exalted personages
grandc1526
serenea1550
most religious1567
sacred1600
serenissimous1623
serenissime1624
super-illustrious1630
1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth iv. 154 Amongst the Kings which they termed Superillustrious [L. Superillustres], the King of England was accompted the third, and the Spaniard the fourth.
1780 in J. Galloway Lett. Cicero to Catiline Second (1781) iv. 37 It will doubtless raise them still higher in the esteem of their brethren the super-illustrious Patriots of the Minority.
1857 J. Doran Monarchs retired from Business I. 13 When so many were hailed illustrious, the flatterers hailed the Imperial Monarch as ‘super-illustrious’.
1981 Lawrence (Kansas) Jrnl.-World 9 Nov. 13/2 Lawrence High is only three games away from the opportunity to consider itself the best team in a super-illustrious school history.
superinenarrable adj. /ˌsjuːpərɪnɪˈnarəbl/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɪnɪˈnarəbl/
, /ˌsuːpərɪnɪˈnarəbl//ˌsjuːpərɪnɪˈnarəbl/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɪnᵻˈnɛrəb(ə)l/
[after post-classical Latin superinenarrabilis (6th cent. in a British source)] rare utterly indescribable./ˌsupərˌɪnᵻˈnɛrəb(ə)l/ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > quality of inspiring wonder > [adjective] > beyond description
undeclarablec1449
not to be spoken of1600
phraseless1609
termless1609
unexpressivea1616
unexprimable1632
wingy1643
unfanciable1669
indescribable1785
unpicturable?1819
unportrayable1852
superinenarrable1873
1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma ix. 276 St. Augustine prays: ‘Holy Trinity, superadmirable Trinity, and superinenarrable, and superinscrutable, and superinaccessible, superincomprehensible.’
1967 H. T. Dave Life & Philos. Shree Swaminarayan vii. 34 Lalji..asked Ramanand, ‘Is..he like you?’ Then Ramanand synoptically replied, ‘He is superinenarrable.’
super-obese adj. /ˌsjuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːs/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːs/
, /ˌsuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːs//ˌsjuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːs/U.S. /ˌsupərˌoʊˈbis/
rare before mid 20th cent. suffering from super-obesity; extremely obese./ˌsupərˌoʊˈbis/ΚΠ
1842 Gardeners' Gaz. 20 Aug. 541/1 The improvements are, a division of the seats into stalls, which will put an end to eternal squabbles, arising from super-obese personages coming to wedge themselves into files already sufficiently close-packed.
1962 Jrnl. Psychosomatic Res. 6 177 To understand the super-obese patient one must understand how he feels about himself.
2005 S. Okie Fed Up! viii. 237 There are super-obese kids who also have a history of overeating compulsively, sometimes for reasons in addition to hunger.
super-obesity n. /ˌsjuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːsᵻti/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːsᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːsᵻti//ˌsjuːpərə(ʊ)ˈbiːsᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərˌoʊˈbisᵻdi/
extreme obesity; (in later use) spec. a level of obesity corresponding in adults to a BMI greater than some particular value, typically 45 or 50./ˌsupərˌoʊˈbisᵻdi/ΚΠ
1918 Collier's 9 Mar. 20/1 Young Mr. Budd's superobesity for once proved its value.
1965 Kingsport (Tennessee) Times-News 14 Nov. 9 b/3 Surgeons are moving aggressively on the disease of super-obesity.
2008 Future of Children 18 151/2 Those who watched more TV had a greater prevalence of obesity or super-obesity than those who watched less TV.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > power > [adjective] > all-powerful
almightOE
all-wieldingOE
almightendc1250
almightfulc1300
compotent1391
almightyc1405
almightiful?a1475
cunctipotentc1485
omnipotenta1522
all-commanding1596
all-powerful1597
omnivalent1602
super-omnivalent1602
omniprevalenta1661
unzoned1662
omnivalous1773
pantocratic1949
1602 J. Davies Mirum in Modum sig. H2v God by powre, super-omnivalent.
superproportioned adj. /ˌsjuːpəprəˈpɔːʃnd/, /ˌsupərpərˈpɔrʃ(ə)nd/ rare of excessive proportions; out of proportion.
Brit. /ˌsuːpəprəˈpɔːʃnd/
, /ˌsuːpəprəˈpɔːʃnd//ˌsjuːpəprəˈpɔːʃnd/U.S. /ˌsupərprəˈpɔrʃ(ə)nd/
, /ˌsupərprəˈpɔrʃ(ə)nd//ˌsupərpərˈpɔrʃ(ə)nd/ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > excessive amount or degree > [adjective] > excessive or too great in amount or degree
overmeteeOE
unmeeteOE
unimeteOE
unmethelyOE
over-mickleOE
hoflesc1175
overmucha1300
unskilwisea1340
unskilfulc1370
luxuriousc1374
overseemingc1384
superfluec1384
unreasonablea1387
outrageousc1390
over-greatc1390
overlargec1390
overgrowna1398
unmeasurablea1398
unmoderatea1398
unordinatea1398
immoderate1398
rankc1400
overabundantc1410
excessivea1420
superabundant?a1425
unmeasureda1425
superfluousc1475
nimious?c1500
surfeitc1500
overliberala1535
torc1540
exceeding1548
distemperate1557
over-ranka1568
overswelling1582
accessive1583
overaboundinga1600
overteeming1603
excessful1633
overproportionated1647
superproportioned1652
over-proportioned1662
overproportionate1672
unduea1684
unequal1704
unmerciful1707
hypermetric1854
hypertrophied1879
over the top1980
1652 K. Digby Disc. Infallibility in Relig. ii. 23 The demonstration..would be superproportioned on one side, and not according to the strict rules of art.
1986 San Diego Union-Tribune (Nexis) 2 Mar. f1 Into this appropriately scaled bayfront with its direct experiences of environment, have recently been introduced alien and superproportioned uses.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > patience > [adjective] > long-suffering > extremely
supersufferablec1429
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 4627 (MED) Alle this tholid thow, Jhesu, in paciens supersuffrable.
supersufficient adj. /ˌsjuːpəsəˈfɪʃnt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsəˈfɪʃnt/
, /ˌsuːpəsəˈfɪʃnt//ˌsjuːpəsəˈfɪʃnt/U.S. /ˌsupərsəˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/
[compare post-classical Latin supersufficiens (13th cent. in a British source)] more than sufficient./ˌsupərsəˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ΚΠ
1625 T. James Manuduction Divinitie 6 It is a most infallible rule, and supersufficient, or omnisufficient meanes of our Saluation.
1864 Duke of Manchester Court & Society I. xiv. 280 Superabundant pride born of supersufficient wealth.
1989 D. P. Barash Marmots iv. 47 Meadow vegetation is almost certainly supersufficient for summer maintenance.
superweak adj. /ˌsjuːpəˈwiːk/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈwiːk/
, /ˌsuːpəˈwiːk//ˌsjuːpəˈwiːk/U.S. /ˌsupərˈwik/
extremely weak; (Particle Physics) designating a proposed interaction several orders of magnitude weaker than the weak interaction which would not be invariant under charge conjugation and space inversion jointly; of or relating to such a force./ˌsupərˈwik/ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > weak or strong force > [adjective] > relating to weak force > extremely
superweak1959
1959 Y. Yamaguchi in Progr. Theoret. Physics 22 373 There may exist extremely weak interactions called here ‘super’-weak interactions, which are much weaker than usual interactions.
1979 D. C. Cheng & G. K. O'Neill Elem. Particle Physics ix. 206 If the Wolfenstein model is correct, there exists a ‘superweak’ fifth force in nature.
1994 R. Harweg in W. Nöth Origins of Semiosis 309 Its deictic or semideictic nature is an extremely weak one, or as I have called it elsewhere..a ‘superweak’ one.
2004 F. Giovannelli & L. Sabau-Graziati Impact Space Exper. 26 The super-weak model does not predict such an effect.
b. In corresponding adverbs, as supercolossally, supereffluently, superinfinitely, supermagnificently, supersolemnly, supertranscendently, etc.
ΚΠ
1607 W. N. Barley-breake sig. B1 A little tilt..Whereunto super-solemnly they goe.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1956) VIII. 250 We were still short of numbring the benefits of God, as God; But then, of God in Christ, infinitely, super-infinitely short.
a1665 J. Goodwin Πλήρωμα τὸ Πνευματικόv (1670) vi. 134 The things promised..are so above measure desirable, and super-transcendently glorious.
a1711 T. Ken Sion iii, in Wks. (1721) IV. 380 O may kind Heav'n on good Macario's Head Grace and Truth super~effluently shed.
1851 Republic Apr. 167/2 Woman, whenever she attempts, succeeds in playing second part to Satan super-admirably.
1858 Athenæum 15 May 629/1 There is excellent rustic fun in Mr. Rossiter's rather super-delicately painted Amateur.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 5 Aug. 12/1 A prize in books, super~magnificently bound.
1966 New Yorker 1 Oct. 184 Both supercolossally ambitious and energetic men.
2006 T. Altebrando Pursuit of Happiness ix. 97 She smiles supersweetly and bats her eyelashes.
c. Prefixed to verbs (and derived adjectives and nouns).
(a) Denoting actions done to a very high or excessive degree.
(i) Prefixed to verbs, as superaccumulate, superexceed, superextol, superplease, superpraise, etc.
ΚΠ
1591 R. W. Martine Mar-Sixtus sig. E As his holines had commended Eleazar, so dooth he likewise extoll Iudith, but both to that end that Clement might be superextolled, and commended aboue them both.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. ii. 154 To vowe, and sweare, and superpraise my parts. View more context for this quotation
1622 F. Bacon Let. to James I in J. Spedding Lett. & Life (1874) VII. 383 They were from time to time far above my merit over and super-rewarded by your Majesty's benefits.
a1637 B. Jonson Magnetick Lady Induct. 124 in Wks. (1640) III Hee is confident it shall super-please judicious Spectators.
a1710 R. Atkyns Parl. & Polit. Tracts (1734) 215 A smart Epistle..wherein he does cry out upon the Pope, for that the Pope's Bulls did superaccumulate (as he terms it) the Words (Non obstante).
1793 J. Saunders Footman's Pamphlet 146 The excellencies and perfections of the Divine Nature, infinitely super-exceed and surpass our shallow comprehensions.
1847 L. H. Kerr tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Servia 383 The arrival of the heroic victims of Hungary..had already strongly contributed to superexcite the minds of the Bulgarians.
1887 C. F. Taylor & W. F. Waugh Man. Treatm. 78 Adding five or six drops of acetic acid, to super-acidulate.
1900 Canada Lancet Jan. 247 Let the operator then grasp the ankle with his other hand..and attempt to super-extend the thigh.
2007 Village Voice (N.Y.) (Nexis) 21 Mar. I love New York. I super love New York.
(ii) Prefixed to participial adjectives, as superacidulated, superelated, superexceeding, superexciting, superextended, superfructified, superrheumatized, etc.
ΚΠ
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo Ded. sig. A4 Being confident of your most gratious benignitie and superexceeding grace.
1652 T. Urquhart Εκσκυβαλαυρον 113 Through the too intensive stretching of the already-super-elated strings of their imagination.
1763 J. Wathen tr. H. Boerhaave Acad. Lect. Lues Venerea vi. 106 That superextended eminence.
1795 Earl of Dundonald Treat. Agric. & Chem. 207 It has been stated that the juice or salt of sorel is a superacidulated neutral salt.
1818 J. Bentham Church-of-Englandism 174 Suppose the Archbishop of Canterbury..with his own super-consecrated hands, washing the feet of a dozen of the inhabitants.
1822 J. M. Good Study Med. IV. 14 The stoutest tree, if superfructified, is impaired for bearing fruit the next year.
1825 L. Hunt tr. F. Redi Bacchus in Tuscany 20 I love any wine iced through and through, If I will have it..Superultrafrostified.
1853 C. G. F. Gore Dean's Daughter II. x. 253 The..wife and nurse of a superrheumatised D.D.
1908 R. L. Durham Call of South xxxix. 400 A little further removed from the Senator's person were the inevitable two or three of that super-admiring yokel type.
1978 Texas Monthly Mar. 36/1 The jets are taking off right next door, but you'll never know it inside this super-decorated disco with a polished sound system.
2010 Airdrie (Alberta) Echo (Nexis) 10 Nov. 14 It was a pleasurable experience for the artists, as well as a super-exciting experience for audiences.
(b) Denoting actions that surpass or go beyond the action denoted by the second element, as superneutralize, supersatiate, supersatisfy, etc.
ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1958) IX. 120 To merit, and over-merit; To satisfie, and super-satisfie the justice of God.
1881 J. Tyndall Ess. Floating Matter of Air 90 The same infusions slightly superneutralized by caustic potash.
1915 Chambers's Jrnl. Mar. 150/2 Refined Englishman..who has supersatiated a cursed wanderlust by adventure..in many lands.
2007 L. M. Burke et al. in R. J. Maughan Nutrition & Football ii. 28 Tactics to restore or even super-compensate muscle glycogen content must commence in the 24–48 h before a game.
(c)
superallowed adj. /ˌsjuːpərəˈlaʊd/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərəˈlaʊd/
, /ˌsuːpərəˈlaʊd//ˌsjuːpərəˈlaʊd/U.S. /ˌsupərəˈlaʊd/
Nuclear Physics (of a beta transition) having an exceptionally high probability of occurrence as measured by the product of the half-life of the initial state and a function of the energy and momentum of the emitted electron./ˌsupərəˈlaʊd/ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactive isotope > radioactive nuclide > [adjective] > of likely occurrence
superallowed1948
1948 N. Feather & H. O. W. Richardson in Proc. Physical Soc. 61 462 In figure 3 there is a perfectly well-defined line (S) parallel to A{p}, which line we can only classify empirically as ‘super-allowed’.
1964 Physical Rev. Lett. 12 301/1 The transition from the ground state of 37Cl to the 5·1-MeV excited state of 37Ar is superallowed and has a large matrix element for neutrino absorption.
2007 E. M. A. Hussein Radiation Mech. i. 35 Superallowed transitions occur when both the parent and daughter have the same total angular momentum parity.
supercivilized adj. (and n.) /ˌsuːpəˈsɪvᵻlʌɪzd/, /ˌsjuːpəˈsɪvl̩ʌɪzd/, /ˌsjuːpəˈsɪvᵻlʌɪzd/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsɪvl̩ʌɪzd/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsɪvl̩ʌɪzd//ˌsuːpəˈsɪvᵻlʌɪzd//ˌsjuːpəˈsɪvl̩ʌɪzd//ˌsjuːpəˈsɪvᵻlʌɪzd/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsɪvəˌlaɪzd/
highly civilized; (with the) highly civilized people as a class./ˌsupərˈsɪvəˌlaɪzd/ΚΠ
1824 New Monthly Mag. 11 384 Those stormy conferences which are probably not uncommon among savage statesmen, since supercivilized ones are but too apt to be occasionally betrayed into them.
1929 ‘R. Crompton’ William i. 12 The Outlaws never made the pretence affected by the super-civilised, of indifference to their neighbours' affairs.
2007 Philadelphia Daily News (Nexis) 12 Dec. (Features section) 3 Its own supercivilized menu includes hot-plated entrées such as escarole and beans..and pine-nut-crusted Ahi tuna.
super-faced adj. /ˈsjuːpəfeɪst/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəfeɪst/
, /ˈsuːpəfeɪst//ˈsjuːpəfeɪst/U.S. /ˈsupərˌfeɪst/
rare (of cloth) having a superior sheen or lustre on the visible side (cf. faced cloth n. at faced adj.1 Compounds)./ˈsupərˌfeɪst/ΚΠ
1894 C. Vickerman Woollen Spinning x. 243 In addition to a super-faced cloth..an immeasurably superior class of tweeds could be produced.
superosculate v. /ˌsjuːpərˈɒskjᵿleɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈɒskjᵿleɪt/
, /ˌsuːpərˈɒskjᵿleɪt//ˌsjuːpərˈɒskjᵿleɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɑskjəˌleɪt/
Geometry transitive and intransitive, to touch tangentially at three or more points./ˌsupərˈɑskjəˌleɪt/ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > curve > make into a curve [verb (transitive)] > interact
osculate1728
reciprocate1861
superosculate1891
1891 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) A conic having six consecutive points in common with a cubic is said to superosculate it.
1902 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 3 482 (title) On superosculating quadric surfaces.
1909 L. P. Eisenhart Treat. Differential Geom. Curves & Surfaces v. 187 The normal sections in these directions at a point are straight lines, or are superosculated by their circles of curvature.
2003 Math. Rev. 1156/1 The tangent t at a point P ∈ c intersects the surface ϕ in a line that is superosculated in P by its circle of curvature at P.
superosculation n. /ˌsjuːpərɒskjᵿˈleɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɒskjᵿˈleɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpərɒskjᵿˈleɪʃn//ˌsjuːpərɒskjᵿˈleɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɑskjəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
Geometry the property of curves or surfaces of having tangential contact at three or more points./ˌsupərˌɑskjəˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > curve > [noun] > touching
osculation1798
tactinvariant1856
superosculation1876
osculant1879
1876 Proc. London Math. Soc. 8 95 If the three roots are all equal, these cones osculate (the cases of double contact and of super-osculation cannot present themselves).
1999 V. A. Shefer in B. A. Steves & A. E. Roy Dynamics Small Bodies Solar Syst. xi. 74 The conditions presented in this work which ensure a high order touch between the intermediate orbit and the real motion, are referred to as the conditions of superosculation.
2009 M. Berger Jacob's Ladder Differential Geom. iv. 210 In algebraic language, osculation and superosculation are easy to describe.
d. In adjectival relation to the noun constituting the second element.
(a) Prefixed to abstract nouns, with the sense ‘very (or too) great, extreme, excessive’.
(i) In rare and ad-hoc combinations, as superabomination, super-cautiousness, superconscientiousness, super-excitation, superexiguity, super-exquisiteness, superinfirmity, super-mastery, super-officiousness, super-perfection, super-ponderancy, supertreason, supervexation, etc.
ΚΠ
1553 J. Bradford Serm. Repentaunce sig. Cj Workes of supererogations, superabhominations, &c.
1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 375 b Is this..the super~abundance of your eloquence? or..superinfirmity of your slippery braynes?
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 33 Not the dimunutiuest nooke or creuise of them but is parturient of the like superofficiousnes.
1631 B. Jonson Staple of Newes 3rd Intermeane 55 in Wks. II Not teach 'hem to speake Playes, and Act Fables of false newes..to the super-uexation of Towne and Countrey, with a wanion.
1647 in J. Cleveland Poems (new ed.) in Char. London-diurnall (Wing C4666) 52 The infamie this super-treason brings.
1662 H. Hibbert Syntagma Theologicum 327 They can do works of supererrogation; therefore they may challenge..a superperfection to themselves.
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. i. 47 The super-exiguity of this farinaceous Seed of Wort.
1670 H. Stubbe Plus Ultra 164 What we experiment here is not the weight of the Air properly, but the super-ponderancy or over-weight of it.
1841 C. G. F. Gore Cecil, Peer III. xii. 299 I do not pretend to any super-exquisiteness of gastronomy.
1856 P. E. Dove Logic Christian Faith vi. §5. 369 The super~excitation of the devotional faculty.
1886 F. R. Stockton Christmas Wreck 59 In order that even my own superconscientiousness might not take me to task.
1918 W. J. Locke Rough Road xiv. 186 It was supremely silly of him to march with super-martiality of tread up the pavement.
1922 Q. Rev. Apr. 378 Contempt for principle, super-mastery of sharp practice,..drain through from the main river of political life.
1949 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 43 1290 He depicts with great skill the super-cautiousness, vacillation, zigzags, and suspicion which have often marked Stalin's thinking.
1966 S. Bellow Let. 7 Apr. (2010) 258 What a super-absurdity not to love you.
1985 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 Sept. d1/3 I think there is superconfusion over the economy.
2010 Sun (Nexis) 17 Feb. (Scotland ed.) 25 They have it all—super-sexiness, confidence, talent and hopefully a great future in the industry.
(ii)
superactivity n. /ˌsjuːpərakˈtɪvᵻti/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərakˈtɪvᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpərakˈtɪvᵻti//ˌsjuːpərakˈtɪvᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərˌækˈtɪvᵻdi/
/ˌsupərˌækˈtɪvᵻdi/ΚΠ
1835 London Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 29 Aug. 145/2 The outbreakings of fury..in part are owing to a super-activity of the determining faculties.
1934 Mod. Psychologist June 9/1 In the majority of men who commit rape there is a decided super-activity of the gonads.
2009 Sarnia (Ont.) Observer (Nexis) 12 Nov. b11 There are..doomsday scenarios involving sunspot superactivity.
supercivilization n. /ˌsuːpəsɪvᵻlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/, /ˌsjuːpəsɪvl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/, /ˌsjuːpəsɪvᵻlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/, /ˌsupərˌsɪvəˌlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsɪvl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəsɪvl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn//ˌsuːpəsɪvᵻlʌɪˈzeɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəsɪvl̩ʌɪˈzeɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəsɪvᵻlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌsɪvələˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
, /ˌsupərˌsɪvələˈzeɪʃ(ə)n//ˌsupərˌsɪvəˌlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1801 Monthly Mag. 12 575/2 The super-civilization..of Europe.
1912 C. Hamilton Outpost of Eternity iii. iv. 183 These occasional fits sent him back to his super-civilization with a new zest for diablerie.
2001 J. R. Gott Time Trav. Einstein's Universe (2002) iii. 126 A future supercivilization might want to lay down warpdrive paths among stars for starships to traverse.
superfecundity n. /ˌsuːpəfɛˈkʌndᵻti/, /ˌsjuːpəfᵻˈkʌndᵻti/, /ˌsjuːpəfɛˈkʌndᵻti/, /ˌsupərfiˈkəndədi/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəfᵻˈkʌndᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpəfᵻˈkʌndᵻti//ˌsuːpəfɛˈkʌndᵻti//ˌsjuːpəfᵻˈkʌndᵻti//ˌsjuːpəfɛˈkʌndᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərfɛˈkəndədi/
, /ˌsupərfɛˈkəndədi//ˌsupərfiˈkəndədi/ΚΠ
1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. xxvi. 510 The system of animal destruction ought always to be considered in strict connexion with another property of animal nature, viz. superfecundity.
1907 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 12 616 It is noteworthy that Japan is taking measures—e. g., the higher education of girls—against her super-fecundity.
2007 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 2 Dec. vi. 46 Given the superfecundity of cats, a little back-of-the-envelope math shows that their..program has kept at least 100,000 potential ferals out of the system.
super-refinement n. /ˌsjuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnm(ə)nt/, /ˌsupə(r)riˈfaɪnm(ə)nt/
Brit. /ˌsuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnm(ə)nt/
, /ˌsuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnm(ə)nt//ˌsjuːpərᵻˈfʌɪnm(ə)nt/U.S. /ˌsupə(r)rəˈfaɪnm(ə)nt/
, /ˌsupə(r)rəˈfaɪnm(ə)nt//ˌsupə(r)riˈfaɪnm(ə)nt/ΚΠ
1805 ‘E. de Acton’ Nuns of Desert I. 238 People being in those times more superstitious than in our present day of super-refinement.
1911 Collier's 19 Aug. 26/3 He had the quality of superrefinement and finish belonging to a world new to Andrei's horizon.
1996 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald Amer. 21 Jan. h1/2 The super refinement of the engine and silkiness of the 4-speed automatic transmission will impress most people.
supersufficiency n. /ˌsjuːpəsəˈfɪʃnsi/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsəˈfɪʃnsi/
, /ˌsuːpəsəˈfɪʃnsi//ˌsjuːpəsəˈfɪʃnsi/U.S. /ˌsupərsəˈfɪʃənsi/
/ˌsupərsəˈfɪʃənsi/ΚΠ
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iii. xii. 157 In case of extreme calidity, and supersufficiency.
1892 Chambers's Jrnl. 17 Dec. 813/1 This..has entailed a world of hourly care and extra care on myself, with a super-sufficiency of daily vexation.
2007 R. Islam & G. Zatzman Econ. Intangibles 283 To resolve important questions of what constitutes supersufficiency, as opposed to insufficiency, of information.
(iii) Chiefly Physiology and Medicine. Denoting conditions and processes excess of the normal.
superalkalinity n. /ˌsjuːpəralkəˈlɪnᵻti/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəralkəˈlɪnᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpəralkəˈlɪnᵻti//ˌsjuːpəralkəˈlɪnᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərˌælkəˈlɪnᵻdi/
/ˌsupərˌælkəˈlɪnᵻdi/ΚΠ
1845 Brit. Jrnl. Homoeopathy 3 492 This scorbutic disease..may be cured by the administration of the vegetable acids, these serving to neutralise the superalkalinity of the blood.
1935 B. Ferguson in Three Years HCl Therapy 26 In cancer, diabetes and many infections it has recently been shown by various laboratory observers that there is an accompanying superalkalinity of the blood.
2005 Biochem. Engin. Jrnl. 24 138/1 It..was mainly attributed to the inhibitory effect of superacidity or superalkalinity on the activity of intracellular enzyme of bacteria.
superfibrination n. /ˌsjuːpəfʌɪbrᵻˈneɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəfʌɪbrᵻˈneɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəfʌɪbrᵻˈneɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəfʌɪbrᵻˈneɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌfaɪbrəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
now rare/ˌsupərˌfaɪbrəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1850 Lancet 22 June 746/1 On the same grounds it would appear that a super-fibrination of the blood, in acute inflammatory diseases, must be regarded as a consequence and effect of those diseases.
1913 Lancet 15 Feb. 481/2 We are probably not wrong in believing that super-fibrination is a result of disordered function, or the effect of some variety of disease.
superinvolution n. /ˌsjuːpərɪnvəˈl(j)uːʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɪnvəˈl(j)uːʃn/
, /ˌsuːpərɪnvəˈl(j)uːʃn//ˌsjuːpərɪnvəˈl(j)uːʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɪnvəˈluʃ(ə)n/
/ˌsupərˌɪnvəˈluʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1852 Monthly Jrnl. Med. Sci. Aug. 130 A morbid excess of involution or reduction in the uterus after delivery (super-involution) is still more rare than a morbid defect in it (sub-involution).
1922 C. G. Child Sterility & Conception xviii. 136 In superinvolution the uterus is decreased in size, it walls are not as thick as normal, and the endometrium is very thin or entirely absent.
2006 P. Handa Breastfeeding v. 68 It is characterized by lactation, amenorrhoea and superinvolution of the uterus dating from pregnancy.
superirritation n. /ˌsjuːpərɪrᵻˈteɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɪrᵻˈteɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpərɪrᵻˈteɪʃn//ˌsjuːpərɪrᵻˈteɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɪrəˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
/ˌsupərˌɪrəˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1801 Monthly Mag. 12 224 Sneezing indicates over-action, super-irritation, hyper-paroxysm.
1969 M. Ziai et al. Pediatrics xii. 244 Because of the superirritation of the tract, which passes either through or in intimate attachment with the hyoid bone, it is invariably necessary to resect the central portion of the hyoid.
superlactation n. /ˌsjuːpəlakˈteɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəlakˈteɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəlakˈteɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəlakˈteɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌlækˈteɪʃ(ə)n/
/ˌsupərˌlækˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1841 Penny Cycl. XIX. 111/1 The symptoms we have just enumerated..arise from the drain occasioned by super-lactation.
1920 W. B. Bell Sex Complex (ed. 2) 98 Superlactation..is sometimes seen in the poorer classes.
1974 W. W. Shreeve Physiol. Chem. Carbohydrates in Mammals iv. 122 Probably the major synthetic activity occurring via the TCA cycle in liver is gluconeogenesis. If this process becomes excessive, as in severe diabetes or superlactation of dairy cows, the development of ketosis is thereby promoted.
supersalinity n. /ˌsjuːpəsəˈlɪnᵻti/, /ˌsupərsəˈlɪnədi/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsəˈlɪnᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpəsəˈlɪnᵻti//ˌsjuːpəsəˈlɪnᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərˌseɪˈlɪnᵻdi/
, /ˌsupərˌseɪˈlɪnᵻdi//ˌsupərsəˈlɪnədi/ΚΠ
1882 J. C. Burnett (title) Supersalinity of the blood.
2002 tr. I. Cojan & M. Renard Sedimentol. iv. 188 Several..indices can be cited: absence of marine fossils other than cyanobacterial stromatolites which can withstand supersalinity, [etc.].
(iv) † superfoliation n. Obsolete rare excessive growth of foliage; also figurative.
superaffluence n. /ˌsjuːpərˈaflʊəns/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈaflʊəns/
, /ˌsuːpərˈaflʊəns//ˌsjuːpərˈaflʊəns/U.S. /ˌsupərˈæflʊəns/
(a) an abundant flow, a great profusion (now rare); (b) extreme wealth./ˌsupərˈæflʊəns/ΚΠ
1638 A. Johnston Diary (1911) I. 342 Rayning doune the super~afluence of his blessings.
1880 Academy 28 Feb. 153/3 Its superaffluence of splendour.
1919 A. Larned Borderland of Country Life 185 The young man..was suddenly elevated to superaffluence by inheriting a large fortune.
2000 Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 31 Dec. m3 In an age of superaffluence, many newly minted millionaires can't help worrying that their children won't inherit their work ethic.
super-conformity n. /ˌsjuːpəkənˈfɔːmᵻti/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkənˈfɔːmᵻti/
, /ˌsuːpəkənˈfɔːmᵻti//ˌsjuːpəkənˈfɔːmᵻti/U.S. /ˌsupərkənˈfɔrmədi/
extreme or excessive conformity; spec. overpreciseness in conforming to ecclesiastical rules./ˌsupərkənˈfɔrmədi/ΚΠ
1659 J. Gauden Ἱερα Δακρυα i. xiii. 113 Either to a peevish nonconformity, or to a pragmatick super-conformity.
1715 J. Platts Ess. Animosities Brit. Protestants 5 While some have been running into Super-conformity, others have been accus'd of uncanonical Abatements.
1824 Christian Remembrancer July 388/2 The clouds of non-conformity..began now, partly by a spirit or breath of super-conformity..to cover the whole English heaven with blackness.
2003 E. Harvey Women & Nazi East vii. 214 They did so [sc. refer to Poles] only in terms that confirmed the authors' conformity—even super-conformity—to the Nazi notion of the racial hierarchy in the East.
supereffluence n. /ˌsjuːpərˈɛflʊəns/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈɛflʊəns/
, /ˌsuːpərˈɛflʊəns//ˌsjuːpərˈɛflʊəns/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɛflʊəns/
[compare post-classical Latin supereffluentia (13th cent. in British sources)] an abundant flowing out./ˌsupərˈɛflʊəns/ΚΠ
1644 K. Digby Two Treat. ii. Concl. 463 His liberall supereffluence of Being vpon me.
1687 T. Ken Let. 1 Oct. in E. H. Plumptre Life Thomas Ken (1888) I. 283 I beseech God..to give you a supereffluence of his H. Spirit.
1876 T. W. Mossman tr. C. à Lapide Great Comm. (Matt. xii.) 102 What is spoken outwardly is but the super-effluence of that of that which is within.
2007 First Things Apr. 1 The good of art is the good of reality displayed in its super-effluence, and it is directed toward the good of human contemplation.
supererection n. /ˌsjuːpərᵻˈrɛkʃn/, /ˌsupəriˈrɛkʃ(ə)n/ Medicine undue persistence of an erection of the penis.There is no evidence of continuity of use between the examples given here.
Brit. /ˌsuːpərᵻˈrɛkʃn/
, /ˌsuːpərᵻˈrɛkʃn//ˌsjuːpərᵻˈrɛkʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərəˈrɛkʃ(ə)n/
, /ˌsupərəˈrɛkʃ(ə)n//ˌsupəriˈrɛkʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1822 J. M. Good Study Med. IV. 132 The imperfect emission proceeding from super-erection or priapism.
2004 P. J. Ucko in V. Buchli Material Culture I. ii. xx. 279 The penis sheath in New Guinea is a symbol of erection, or even super-erection, whereby the end plume or fibre stopper represents either the glans or even semen.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > [noun] > abnormal or excessive production of
phyllomania1669
superfoliationa1682
pleiophylly1869
a1682 Sir T. Browne Certain Misc. Tracts (1683) 76 The Disease of ϕυλλομανία, ἐμϕυλλισμός, or superfoliation, mention'd by Theophrastus; whereby the fructifying Juice is starved by the excess of Leaves.
1870 Old Dominion Mag 15 July 400 We find in the former [book] the excrescences and superfoliations of genius.
superpronation n. /ˌsjuːpəprəʊˈneɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəprəʊˈneɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəprəʊˈneɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəprəʊˈneɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌproʊˈneɪʃ(ə)n/
Medicine the positioning of the hand or forelimb in a manner involving further rotation from a pronated position, so that the back of it faces the body and the palm faces backwards and outwards; (also) exaggerated or excessive pronation of the foot./ˌsupərˌproʊˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > position of specific body parts > [noun] > arm or hand
pronation1657
supination1657
superpronation1825
1825 Lancet 27 Aug. 255/1 The hand is between the states of pronation and superpronation.
1887 Retrospect Pract. Med. & Surg. Jan. 111 The os calcis..has undergone a certain amount of super-pronation—so that the outer tubercle at the heel is at some distance from the ground.
1910 J. F. Goodhart & G. F. Still Dis. Children (ed. 9) i. 31 The arm hangs straight down at the side with the forearm in a position of superpronation, so that the palm of the hand looks backward and outward.
2009 M. DeMello Feet & Footwear 95 If superpronation is the problem, treatment can include orthotic arch supports and orthopedic shoes.
supersecretion n. /ˌsjuːpəsᵻˈkriːʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəsᵻˈkriːʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəsᵻˈkriːʃn//ˌsjuːpəsᵻˈkriːʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərsəˈkriʃ(ə)n/
Medicine excessive secretion; = hypersecretion n. at hyper- prefix 4./ˌsupərsəˈkriʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1826 J. Bell & R. La Roche tr. F. J. V. Broussais Treat. Physiol. appl. Pathol. ii. ix. 429 The afflux of blood..produces the same effect upon the lachrymal glands, and determines their super-secretion.
1916 L. F. Barker Monogr. Med. III. viii. 541 A third form of gastric supersecretion is that in which the excessive flow is not continuous but is related to the act of digestion.
2004 M. Czosnyka et al. in G. Cinalli et al. Pediatric Hydrocephalus iii. 47/2 Extrachoroidal secretion or super-secretion in the remaining plexuses has been postulated to account for the failure of this type of surgery.
supervoltage n. /ˈsjuːpəˌvəʊltɪdʒ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌvəʊltɪdʒ/
, /ˈsuːpəˌvəʊltɪdʒ//ˈsjuːpəˌvəʊltɪdʒ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌvoʊltɪdʒ/
Physics and Medicine a higher than usual voltage; spec. one in excess of about 500 (formerly 200) kilovolts, as used in the generation of therapeutic radiation; frequently attributive; cf. orthovoltage n. at ortho- comb. form 1, megavoltage n./ˈsupərˌvoʊltɪdʒ/ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > voltage > [noun] > higher than usual voltage
high voltage1888
supervoltage1898
overload1904
breakdown voltage1915
overvoltage1921
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > [noun] > voltage
supervoltage1934
megavoltage1955
orthovoltage1958
the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > X-rays > [noun] > higher than usual voltage
supervoltage1934
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > treatment by radiation > [adjective] > voltage
supervoltage1976
1898 Jrnl. Inst. Electr. Engineers 27 416 These include meter losses and discrepancies, and if the consumers' meters are ampere-meters, the loss includes any super voltage with which you may be favouring your consumers.
1934 Illinois Med. Jrnl. 66 286/2 Much of the improvement claimed for super-voltage is available at 200 kilovolts.
1956 A. H. Compton Atomic Quest i. 14 The new physics laboratory..would include space for supervoltage equipment.
1976 Lancet 6 Nov. 992/2 Patients who received T.N.I. were all treated with supervoltage or megacurie equipment.
2001 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 20 Sept. 52/2 By the late 1970s, it had come to be generally accepted that various combinations of chemotherapy, supervoltage X-ray, and minimal surgery..were the proper standard of care.
(b) Prefixed to nouns (and related adjectives) denoting persons who display the characteristics of, or the qualities implied in, the second element to an extreme or excessive degree, as super-activist, superconformist, etc.
ΚΠ
1684 R. Baxter Whether Parish Congregations 22 The writings of superconformists and subverters, or changers of the church government.
?1714 J. Lewis Vindic. Ld. Bishop of Norwich 4 It is now, amongst our Super-conformists, to use your own Words, Scandal enough.
1972 New York 14 Aug. 28/3 A 41-year-old Providence lawyer and businessman who described himself as ‘a super-activist Jew’.
1995 M. Roe Austral., Brit., & Migration, 1915–1940 iii. 61 In June the super-isolationist J. T. Lang became Premier of New South Wales.
e. Chemistry.
(a) Denoting a high proportion of the component indicated by the root word. See also superoxygenated adj., superoxygenation n.
(i) † superphlogistication n. Obsolete
supercarburetted adj. /ˌsuːpəˈkɑːbjᵿrɛtᵻd/, /ˌsjuːpəkɑːbjᵿˈrɛtᵻd/, /ˌsjuːpəˈkɑːbjᵿrɛtᵻd/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəkɑːbjᵿˈrɛtᵻd/
, /ˌsuːpəkɑːbjᵿˈrɛtᵻd//ˌsuːpəˈkɑːbjᵿrɛtᵻd//ˌsjuːpəkɑːbjᵿˈrɛtᵻd//ˌsjuːpəˈkɑːbjᵿrɛtᵻd/U.S. /ˌsupərˈkɑrbəˌrɛdəd/
[after French surcharbonné (1806 in the passage translated in quot. 1807)] now rare/ˌsupərˈkɑrbəˌrɛdəd/ΚΠ
1807 Jrnl. Nat. Philos. July 186 (heading) Supercarburetted cast iron.
1922 Brit. Patent 167,765 2/1 When the pistons uncover in their turn the ports 19 the supercarburetted gas enters the cylinder and mixes with the pure air.
superoxidated adj. /ˌsjuːpərˈɒksᵻdeɪtᵻd/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈɒksᵻdeɪtᵻd/
, /ˌsuːpərˈɒksᵻdeɪtᵻd//ˌsjuːpərˈɒksᵻdeɪtᵻd/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɑksəˌdeɪdᵻd/
[originally after French suroxidé (1794 or earlier)] /ˌsupərˈɑksəˌdeɪdᵻd/ΚΠ
1796 R. Heron tr. A.-F. de Fourcroy Elements Chem. & Nat. Hist. I. 78 A change in the combination of the oxigene by which the two oxides are precipitated ;—the one partially de-oxidated; the other super-oxidated.
1901 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 Oct. 1054/1 Such antiseptics as potassium permanganate or super-oxidated hydrogen, which possess a considerable oxidising power, are to be preferred whenever there exists a fœtid or gangrenous process.
2002 G. N. J. Tytgat in M. Classen et al. Gastroenterol. Endoscopy (ed. 2) viii. 96/2 Sterilox (superoxidated water), which is as efficacious as chlorine dioxide or glutaraldehyde, does not affect the equipment and has a low toxicity.
superphlogisticate v. /ˌsjuːpəflə(ʊ)ˈdʒɪstᵻkeɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəflə(ʊ)ˈdʒɪstᵻkeɪt/
, /ˌsuːpəflə(ʊ)ˈdʒɪstᵻkeɪt//ˌsjuːpəflə(ʊ)ˈdʒɪstᵻkeɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərfləˈdʒɪstəˌkeɪt/
now historical/ˌsupərfləˈdʒɪstəˌkeɪt/ΚΠ
1778 J. Priestley Let. 4 Feb. in Sci. Autobiogr. (1966) iv. 163 The black matter..is mercury Superphlogisticated.
1784 J. Priestley in Philos. Trans. 1783 (Royal Soc.) 73 405 By superphlogisticating iron with nitrous air.
2004 R. E. Schofield Enlightened Joseph Priestley ix. 184 When pure air had been expelled from them by passage through a hot earthen tube, it concluded that the acids were left super-phlogisticated.
ΚΠ
1789 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 79 289 What we have called the phlogistication of them, ought rather to have been called their super-phlogistication.
supersulphuretted adj. /ˌsuːpəsʌlfjᵿˈrɛtᵻd/, /ˌsjuːpəˈsʌlfjᵿrɛtᵻd/, /ˌsjuːpəsʌlfjᵿˈrɛtᵻd/, /ˌsupərˈsəlf(j)əˌrɛdəd/ now rare
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsʌlfjᵿrɛtᵻd/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsʌlfjᵿrɛtᵻd//ˌsuːpəsʌlfjᵿˈrɛtᵻd//ˌsjuːpəˈsʌlfjᵿrɛtᵻd//ˌsjuːpəsʌlfjᵿˈrɛtᵻd/U.S. /ˌsupərˌsəlf(j)əˈrɛdəd/
, /ˌsupərˌsəlf(j)əˈrɛdəd//ˌsupərˈsəlf(j)əˌrɛdəd/ΚΠ
1799 R. Kirwan Ess. Anal. Min. Waters 11 In the second species, sulphur is combined with hydrogen, beyond the point of saturation... This I call super sulphurated hydrogen.]
1804 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 2) III. 133 The addition of another dose of sulphur constitutes hydrogureted sulphur, which Mr Kirwan has with great propriety denominated supersulphureted hydrogen.
1806 J. Murray Syst. Chem. II. 436 Super-sulphuretted Hydrogen.
1926 G. Smith Contrib. Mineral. New South Wales 26 Johnstonite.—A supersulphuretted lead ore due to the alteration of galena with which it was associated.
(ii) † superazotation n. Obsolete the condition of containing an increased proportion of nitrogen.
ΚΠ
1800 R. J. Thornton Philos. Med. (ed. 4) V. xxxix. 463 The author [sc. Baumes] thinks..that superazotization is the effect of fever.
1802 R. Hall tr. L. B. Guyton de Morveau Treat. Means Purifying Infected Air 10 I have shewn that it is in the nature of things, that super-azotation should produce an increased activity, in the same manner as super-oxygenation.
(b) Denoting the highest proportion of a component, esp. owing to a high oxidation state. Now chiefly archaic or historical, except in superoxide n. and in the names of certain substances used in industry and commerce, as superphosphate n., supersulphate n.Cf. sub- prefix 4b(b).
(i) † superarseniate n. Obsolete
superacetate n. /ˌsjuːpərˈasᵻteɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈasᵻteɪt/
, /ˌsuːpərˈasᵻteɪt//ˌsjuːpərˈasᵻteɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈæsəˌteɪt/
/ˌsupərˈæsəˌteɪt/ΚΠ
1788 J. St. John tr. L. B. Guyton de Morveau et al. Method Chym. Nomencl. 107 New names... Acetite of lead. Ancient names... Sugar of lead, Super-acetated lead.]
1811 Jrnl. Nat. Philos. June 78 The aqua lithargyri acetati is a saturated solution of the proper acetate of lead,..it is an essentially different salt from the super-acetate of lead.
1913 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 4 Oct. 875/1 Dr. Latham..used the superacetate of lead in consumption.
1979 A. J. Youngson Sci. Revol. Victorian Med. i. 18 Acetate or superacetate of lead combined with opium was prescribed for haemorrhage of the lungs.
ΚΠ
1804 R. Pearson Thesaurus Medicaminum (ed. 3) 291 It will probably be more certain and safe in its operation, when brought to the state of a salt readily soluble in water, i.e. when formed into arseniate of potass, or more properly super-arseniate of potass, in the manner directed by Macquer.
1866 R. S. Charnock Verba Nominalia (new ed.) 164 Macquer's salt (Sel arsenical de Macquer). Neutral arsenical salt; super-arseniate of potass [i.e. potassium arsenate].
supermalate n. /ˌsjuːpəˈmeɪlət/, /ˌsupərˈmeɪˌleɪt/
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈmeɪlət/
, /ˌsuːpəˈmeɪlət//ˌsjuːpəˈmeɪlət/U.S. /ˌsupərˈmæˌleɪt/
, /ˌsupərˈmæˌleɪt//ˌsupərˈmeɪˌleɪt/ΚΠ
1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. I. at Brionia It was also found to contain..a small portion of sugar, and a quantity of supermalate of lime, and phosphate of lime.
1908 Jrnl. Therapeutics & Dietetics 2 134 Belladonna contains supermalate of atropa, pseudotoxin, malate of potassa, salts, wax, [etc.].
superoxalate n. /ˌsjuːpərˈɒksəleɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərˈɒksəleɪt/
, /ˌsuːpərˈɒksəleɪt//ˌsjuːpərˈɒksəleɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈɑksəˌleɪt/
/ˌsupərˈɑksəˌleɪt/ΚΠ
1798 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 88 44 Superoxalate of potash.
1900 Pharmaceut. Jrnl. 2 Sept. 234/1 (heading) Potassium superoxalate.
2000 M. C. Usselman in F. L. Holmes & T. H. Levere Instruments & Exper. Hist. Chem. x. 262 The acid content of the new salt was found to be twice that of the superoxalate and four times that of the oxalate of potash.
supertartrate n. /ˌsjuːpəˈtɑːtreɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈtɑːtreɪt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈtɑːtreɪt//ˌsjuːpəˈtɑːtreɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈtɑrˌtreɪt/
/ˌsupərˈtɑrˌtreɪt/ΚΠ
1804 A. Duncan Edinb. New Dispensatory (ed. 2) ii. 71 The white flux..is prepared by deflagrating together equal parts of nitrate of potass and super-tartrate of potass.
1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 458/2 Malate of lime and super-tartrate of lime [in the juice of the grape].
1891 Hardwicke's Sci.-gossip 27 32 The colour is fixed by a mordant of alumina and oxide of tin, and the colour is intensified by super-tartrate of potash.
2007 A. Broomfield Food & Cooking Victorian Eng. vi. 117 Crooked vintners lined their port bottles with supertartrate of potash to make the product appear like an expensive crusted port.
(ii) † supersulphuret n. Obsolete a binary compound containing the highest possible proportion of sulphur, a persulphide.
supersulphate n. /ˌsjuːpəˈsʌlfeɪt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəˈsʌlfeɪt/
, /ˌsuːpəˈsʌlfeɪt//ˌsjuːpəˈsʌlfeɪt/U.S. /ˌsupərˈsəlˌfeɪt/
(a) a salt containing the highest possible proportion of sulphate (now chiefly historical); (b) a commercial preparation, esp. a fertilizer or a cement, containing a high proportion of sulphate./ˌsupərˈsəlˌfeɪt/ΚΠ
1803 F. Accum Syst. Theoret. & Pract. Chem II. 78 This saline compound is a super-sulphate of mercury.
1919 N. Nordman Peace Probl. i. iii. 29 Of the fertilisers,..supersulphates were imported from England.
1961 Brit. Jrnl. Plastic Surg. 14 98 Dr Simpson's supersulphate of zinc paste was recommended as ‘a very valuable caustic particularly useful for removal of cancerous tumours of the breast’.
2000 I. Odler Special Inorg. Cements xx. 294 Galvanized steel is susceptible to chloride-induced corrosion in highly alkaline environments... The corrosion may be reduced significantly by the use of supersulfate cement.
ΚΠ
1804 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 2) III. 146 Two metallic sulphurets are capable of combining with an additional dose of sulphur, and becoming supersulphurets.
1873 Sci. Rec. 11 Lead, bismuth, antimony, zinc, and aluminium, are scarcely acted upon by being kept for several months in a solution of alkaline supersulphurets.
f. In prepositional relation with the second element. See supernumerary adj. and n.
4. Forming verbs, nouns, and adjectives expressing addition or repetition.
a. In adverbial or adjectival relation to the second element, with the sense ‘over and above, in addition, additional(ly), extra’.
(a) Prefixed to verbs, as super-assume, super-elect, super-endow, super-illustrate, superordain, etc.
ΚΠ
1590 J. Greenwood Answere Giffords Def. 32 Christ pronounceth them accursed that add or superordeyne any thing to his worde.
1620 T. Venner Via Recta viii. 190 Vpon meats taken againe, let there be assumed a draught of ordinarie Beere, and therewith, or a litle meat super-assumed.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1956) VIII. 140 That God would super-endow him, with parts, and faculties, fit for that service.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1958) IX. 172 At thy death thou shalt be super-illustrated, with a Meridionall light.
a1734 R. North Lives of Norths (1826) I. 360 How can you super-elect and set up anti~sheriffs to oust them before their title is tried?
1833 C. G. F. Gore Polish Tales I. 183 Not only versed..in indifferent Latin and bad German, but accomplished in the gabblement of French, and super-endowed with a lisping smattering of English.
1883 Gloucestershire Notes & Queries July 377 Some of these stones..are deficient in their figure, and have the defect supplied (or rather super-supplied) with a rugged formless matter.
1986 J. Sharkey One Toe in Grave 49 But just consider, sir—all those sweat-glands starting to superproduce—your body valiantly fighting the invasion, trying not to overperspire.
(b) Prefixed to nouns, as super-accession, supergraffing, superillustration, superindiction, superinjustice, superornament, supersanction, super-value, etc.
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a1626 F. Bacon Considerations War with Spain (1629) 5 The Rauishing whereof was a meere Excursion of the first Wrong, and a Super-Iniustice.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §182 In the Straining of a String, the further it is strained, the lesse Superstraining goeth to a Note.
1627 J. Donne Serm. Lady Danuers 159 When there was a Super-dying, a death vpon the death,..a Spirituall death after the bodily.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1958) IX. 81 Those super-illustrations, which the blessed shall have in Glory.
1657 T. Burton Diary (1828) I. 407 The frequent super-sanction of Magna Charta.
1664 J. Evelyn Sylva (1679) 4 Super-graffing, or the repetition of Graffing, for the inlargement, and melioration of Fruit.
1701 J. Norris Ess. Ideal World I. vii. 410 One is conceived as a super-accession to the other.
1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. 109 The super Ornaments of the Mind..were not necessary.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1787) III. xxxvi. 455 The provincials, oppressed by the accumulated weight of indictions and superindictions.
1792 D. Lloyd Voy. Life iii. 51 If you in works of merit prove too light, They'll add their super-stuff into the scale.
1800 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 1178/1 Making super-provision of corn an article of enterprize to send to other countries in want of it.
1833 Irish Monthly Mag. Sept. 283 This latter confirmation and super-confirmation reminds us of the parasites in Florence M'Carthy.
1905 Daily Chron. 23 June 5/7 Only those super~values would be taxed which are due to the growth of a town [etc.].
2006 R. Wallus & T. P. Simon Reprod. Biol. & Early Life Hist. Fishes Ohio River Drainage V. 266/2 The superproduction of eggs by striped bass may be a mechanism to effectively sample the environment..for quality habitats.
(c) † superaccessory adj. Obsolete additional, extra; that is in addition to something else.
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1692 J. Norris 2 Treat. Divine Light i. 60 The Divine Light an Extraordinary Communication, that is, Superaccessory to the Natural Light.
1697 J. Norris Acct. Reason & Faith iv. 214 The Natural and the Super-accessory defects.
superadvenient adj. /ˌsjuːpərədˈviːnɪənt/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərədˈviːnɪənt/
, /ˌsuːpərədˈviːnɪənt//ˌsjuːpərədˈviːnɪənt/U.S. /ˌsupərədˈvinjənt/
[compare post-classical Latin superadveniens (14th cent.)] now rare that comes on or after something as an addition; additional, extra./ˌsupərədˈvinjənt/ΚΠ
1646 H. More Democritus Platonissans sig. D6v By the powerfull appulse of some superadvenient form.
1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity xx. 77 Which will again be hugely increased by another superadvenient Incertainty.
1855 U.S. Rev. Aug. 134 The pets are..looking seriously sentimental one at another, as for the next hour superadvenient masculinity pours in to restore the numerical equality of the sexes.
1930 Sci. Monthly Nov. 454/2 Every discrete feature of living as well as non-living substance may be regarded as superadvenient over, or extraneous to, the mere sums, mosaics or additive resultants of their respective, constitutive parts.
superconception n. /ˈsjuːpəkənsɛpʃn/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəkənsɛpʃn/
, /ˈsuːpəkənsɛpʃn//ˈsjuːpəkənsɛpʃn/U.S. /ˈsupərkənˌsɛpʃ(ə)n/
= superfetation n. 1a./ˈsupərkənˌsɛpʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. xvii. 150 In those superconceptions where one childe was like the father, the other like the adulterer. View more context for this quotation
1764 Med. Museum III. xlvii. 446 Were women in labour more generally attended by observant people, examples of super-conception would more frequently occur than at present.
1878 Med. & Surg. Reporter 7 Sept. We may have a case of twins from this kind of superconception, if, indeed, such conception be really possible.
2010 Toronto Sun (Nexis) 23 Sept. 52 They [sc. hares] developed a second pregnancy about four days before delivery, a phenomenon called ‘superfetation’ (superconception).
superfeudation n. /ˌsjuːpəfjuːˈdeɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpəfjuːˈdeɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpəfjuːˈdeɪʃn//ˌsjuːpəfjuːˈdeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌfjuˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/
Feudal Law (historical and now rare) = superinfeudation n./ˌsupərˌfjuˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > types of transfer > [noun] > feoffment or feuing > superfeudation
superfeudation1861
1861 H. S. Maine Anc. Law iv. 107 To mount up, through narrowing circles of super-feudation, till we approximate to the apex of the system.
1897 Speaker 1 May 496/1 Dr. Whitaker, evidently analysing the system, as Sir Henry Maine does, from the bottom upwards—superfeudation—rather than from the top downwards, like Hallam.
superinfeudation n. /ˌsjuːpərɪnfjuːˈdeɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌsuːpərɪnfjuːˈdeɪʃn/
, /ˌsuːpərɪnfjuːˈdeɪʃn//ˌsjuːpərɪnfjuːˈdeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌsupərˌɪnfjuˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/
Feudal Law (historical and now rare) the establishment of a feudal estate from smaller ones held by vassals; cf. subinfeudation n./ˌsupərˌɪnfjuˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl. Superinfeudation, the creation of a new feudal estate out of another already established in feudal law.
1943 Jrnl. Legal & Polit. Sociol. 1 77 By a process that might be called superinfeudation, original domini yielded allegiance (commended themselves) to superior lords, became their ‘men’ and ‘gave’ their lands, to be returned to them in feodo.
1973 S. G. Payne Hist. Spain & Portugal I. iv. 69 Various forms of sub- and super-infeudation were practiced at different levels of the aristocracy.
super-tuning n. /ˈsuːpəˌtʃuːnɪŋ/, /ˈsjuːpəˌtjuːnɪŋ/, /ˈsjuːpəˌtʃuːnɪŋ/,
Brit. /ˈsuːpəˌtjuːnɪŋ/
, /ˈsuːpəˌtjuːnɪŋ//ˈsuːpəˌtʃuːnɪŋ//ˈsjuːpəˌtjuːnɪŋ//ˈsjuːpəˌtʃuːnɪŋ/U.S. /ˈsupərˌt(j)unɪŋ/
the action of making adjustments to the engine of a motor vehicle to improve its performance./ˈsupərˌt(j)unɪŋ/ΚΠ
1928 Daily Sketch 7 Aug. 2/3 Super-tuning..has worked wonders.
1965 Pop. Mech. June 76/1 Aside from super-tuning of engines, stock cars must race pretty much ‘as is’.
2002 J. Richardson How to build Small-block Chevy for Street vii. 51/1 The super-tuning tricks you use on a Chevy engine may not work as well on a Ford or Mopar motor.
b. Mathematics. In adjectives denoting ratios and proportions expressible by unity (or some other integer) with a fractional part over, as superbipartient, supertripartient, superquadripartient, etc. (where the middle part of the word denotes the number of fractional parts left over); superbitertial, superbitertian (where the final part denotes the denominator involved). Cf. superpartient adj. 1, superparticular adj. 1.
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1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. viii. f. 205v Betwene two numbers whose proportion is superparticular, or superbipartient, there falleth no mean proportionall. For the least numbers of that proportion differ the one from the other onely by vnitie or by two.
1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Supertripartient number.
1686 R. Blome Gentlemans Recreation i. 46/1 The Superpartient Ratio is when one Term comprehends another, once and some part over and above, so 2 thirds, 3 fourths, 4 fifths is called Superbipartient third; Supertripartient fourth, superquadripartient fifth, and so of others.
1702 V. Mandey tr. J. J. Hainlin Synopsis Mathematica: Theoret. Arithm. iii. 36 Proportion Superpartient, is the Habitude of a greater Number to a lesser, when the greater contains the lesser once, and moreover some Aliquot parts... The Denominators of it are, 12/ 3, Superbipartient. 13/ 4, Supertripartient. 14/ 5, Superquadrupartient, and so ad Infinitum.
1705 E. Scarburgh Eng. Euclide 180 As 8 to 3 is..2⅔..: therefore this proportion is named Duple superbitertial.
1729 G. Shelvocke Jr. tr. K. Siemienowicz Great Art Artillery iv. vi. 272 You shall have an hollow Wooden Ball, whose whole Height shall be to its Breadth..in a Supertripartient Proportion; that is, as 7 is to 4, though a Sesquialteral Proprtion might do pretty well.
1816 T. Taylor Theoretic Arithm. xxi. 54 By converting after the same manner the sesquiquartan, the superquadripartient ratio will immediately be generated.
1916 G. Johnson Arithm. Philos. Nicomachus of Gerasa vi. 26 The progression as regards terminology may be as follows, superbitertian, supertriquartan, superquadriquintan, superquinquesextan and similarly in the ease of the rest.
1940 Liddell & Scott's Greek-Eng. Lex. (ed. 9) 1780/2 τετρᾰκισ-επίπεμπτος, superquintipartient.
1978 M. S. Mahoney in D. C. Lindberg Sci. in Middle Ages v. 164 If A contained B once with a remainder greater than 1, (A,B) was a ‘superpartient ratio’; specifically, for example, (5,3) was a ‘superbipartient thirds’.
1984 Jrnl. Mus. Theory 28 213 Each of these ratios, of course, is a multiple superbipartient and therefore represents a dissonant interval.
c. Forming nouns denoting something of the same kind as the second element in a second-order relation to it, as supercommentary, super-formation, superheresy, super-reflection, super-reformation, etc. Cf. meta- prefix.
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1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §241 There be three Kindes of Reflexions of Sounds; A Reflexion Concurrent; A Reflexion Iterant, which we call Eccho; And a Super-reflexion, or an Eccho of an Eccho.
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §8 Even in Doctrines hereticall there will be super-heresies . View more context for this quotation
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. iii. 9 Not attaining the deuteroscopy, or second intention of the words, they are faine to omit their superconsequencies, coherencies, figures, or tropologies. View more context for this quotation
?1748 Remarks on Bk. intitled Full View Christianity i. 15 The Church of England..seems now less to stand in need of a Super-Reformation, than any other Church whatever.
1846 Proc. Philol. Soc. (1848) 3 14 This principle of super-formation.
1876 S. M. Schiller-Szinessy Catal. Hebrew Manuscripts Univ. Libr. Cambr. I. 139 Our author as well as other supercommentators..commented on the Short commentary.
1904 New Era Aug. 265/1 One Benjamin d'Espinoza..wrote among other works an esteemed supercommentary to Abraham ibn Ezra's Bible commentary.
2001 Cox News Service (Nexis) 5 Apr. You are inside a forest of musical notes, surrounded by reflections and super-reflections of sound.
5. With reduplication of the prefix.
a. Used as an intensifier. Cf. sense 3.
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1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. I4v Super Super-excellent Reuellers goe, proceede you Masters of Arte in kissing these wenches.
1638 T. Heywood Wise-woman of Hogsdon ii. i. sig. C2v Oh super, super-excellent!
1824 London Lit. Gaz. 7 Aug. 504/1 Göethe Meister's Apprenticeship is..the most extraordinary work ever produced,—super-super-admirable.
1851 Gen. Baptist Repository Sept. 411/1 It means literally, not super-abounded, but super-super-abounded.
1871 W. G. Ward Ess. Philos. Theism (1884) II. 256 Evidence super-superabundantly sufficient.
1934 ‘J. Spenser’ Limey breaks In ix. 158 This warder was another of the variety known amongst prison populations as super-super bastards.
1974 T. P. Whitney tr. A. Solzhenitsyn Gulag Archipel. I. ii. iv. 590 Things were neat and clean, they said, and it was always warm, and the only work was mental work—and all of it super-supersecret.
2006 Racing Post (Nexis) 30 Apr. 6 The horse was so lazy and I pushed and shoved him the entire way, but he was super-super-fit on the day.
b. Used to denote a further increase in rank, level, or degree. Cf. sense 2.
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1623 S. Purchas Kings Towre 30 To be an euerlasting House and Temple, a super-supercelestiall house to vs.
1853 Working Farmer Dec. 219/2 The latter [sc. ‘super-improved’ phosphate], perhaps, is identical with Mr. Harris' ‘new or super-super-phosphate’?
1892 I. Zangwill Children of Ghetto I. x. 148 There was an island of text in a sea of commentary, itself lost in an ocean of super-commentary that was bordered by a continent of super-super-commentary.
1929 J. B. Priestley Balconinny 172 The super-super kinema has arrived.
1954 G. Gamow in M. K. Munitz Theories of Universe (1965) 393 We have to assume that there are other giant clusters, and that they are combined in superclusters, and these in turn in super-superclusters, and so on without end.
1979 Nature 12 Apr. 615/1 Since nuclear shell theory predicts a further island of stability at Z = 164–184..we must consider whether the three peaks originate from decay of super-superheavy elements.
1980 Sci. Amer. July 112/1 In this way super-supercoiled molecules can be created, molecules that have many more super~helical twists than are usually present.
2010 A. Weir Truth through Proof vii. 212 This process can be iterated up the recursive hierarchy..by iterating supertasks to create super-super tasks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2012; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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