(no longer widely used) relating to those aspects of a culture that are conceived as being superior to the individual members of the society
Derived forms
superorganicism (ˌsuperorˈganicism)
noun
superorganicist (ˌsuperorˈganicist)
noun
superorganic in American English
(ˌsuːpərɔrˈɡænɪk)
adjective
Sociology & Anthropology
of or pertaining to the structure of cultural elements within society conceived as independent of and superior to the individual members of society
Derived forms
superorganicism
noun
superorganicist
noun
Word origin
[super- + organic]super- is a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, with the basic meaning“above, beyond.” Words formed with super- have the following general senses: “to place or be placed above or over” (superimpose; supersede), “a thing placed over or added to another” (superscript; superstructure; supertax), “situated over” (superficial; superlunary) and, more figuratively, “an individual, thing, or property that exceeds customarynorms or levels” (superalloy; superconductivity; superman; superstar), “an individual or thing larger, more powerful, or with wider application than othersof its kind” (supercomputer; superhighway; superpower; supertanker), “exceeding the norms or limits of a given class” (superhuman; superplastic), “having the specified property to a great or excessive degree” (supercritical; superfine; supersensitive), “to subject to (a physical process) to an extreme degree or in an unusual way”(supercharge; supercool; supersaturate), “a category that embraces a number of lesser items of the specified kind” (superfamily; supergalaxy), “a chemical compound with a higher proportion than usual of a given constituent”(superphosphate)