super

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsu.pɚ/,

  • Audio (CAN)

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsʉː.pə(ɹ)/,

  • Audio (AUS)

    (file)

• Homophone: souper (one pronunciation)
• Hyphenation: su‧per
• Rhymes: -uːpə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From super- (prefix), from Middle English super-, from Latin super-, from super (“above”). Doublet of over and hyper.

Adjective

super (not comparable)

1. Of excellent quality, superfine.
2. better than average, better than usual; wonderful.

Synonyms

• (better): awesome, excellent

Derived terms

Related terms

• super-

Translations

Adverb

super (not comparable)

1. (informal) Very; extremely (used like the prefix super-).

   The party was super awesome.

   • 1992 March 14, The Canberra Times, page 9, column 2:

     The job is super interesting for a person who enjoys a hardware environment and communicating with people.

   • 2022 November 18, Ryan Mac, Mike Isaac, Kellen Browning, quoting Elon Musk, “Elon Musk’s Twitter Teeters on the Edge After Another 1,200 Leave”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     “The best people are staying, so I’m not super worried,” he tweeted.

Etymology 2

Abbreviation by shortening.

Noun

super (plural supers)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, informal) Short for superannuation.

   Jane looked forward to collecting a large super payout when she retired.

2. Short for supercomputer.
   • 1989, Kai Hwang, Doug DeGroot, Parallel processing for supercomputers and artificial intelligence:

     The performances and cost ranges of three classes of commercial supercomputers are given in Table 2.1. The full-scale supers are the most expensive class, represented by Cray, ETA, and Fujitsu systems, for example.

3. (comics, slang) Short for superhero.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:super.
4. (beekeeping) Short for superhive.
   • 1983, Sue Hubbell, A Country Year: Living the Questions, Boston, MA: Mariner Books, published 1999, →ISBN, page 69:

     There may be thirty to fifty supers in every outyard, and we have only about half an hour to get them off the hives, stacked and covered before the bees get really cross about what we are doing.

5. (informal, US) Short for superintendent, especially, a building's resident manager (sometimes clarified as “building super”).
6. (neologism) Short for supernaturalist, especially as distinguished from bright.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:super.
7. Short for supernumerary; (theater) specifically, a supernumerary actor.
   • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Affair at the Novelty Theatre”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:

     For this scene, a large number of supers are engaged, and in order to further swell the crowd, practically all the available stage hands have to ‘walk on’ dressed in various coloured dominoes, and all wearing masks.

   • 1916, Ring W. Lardner, “Three Kings and a Pair”, in The Saturday Evening Post‎:

     The piece was gave by a bunch o’ supers the time I went. I’d like to see it with a real cast. They say it’s a whiz when it’s acted right.

8. Short for supertanker.
   • 1973, Jeffrey Potter, Disaster by Oil, page 46:

     That is a lot of ship, about the size of big tankers before they grew so rapidly to become supers, mammoths and oilbergs.

9. Short for supervisor.

Verb

super (third-person singular simple present supers, present participle supering, simple past and past participle supered)

1. (beekeeping) Short for superhive.
   • 1917 Dadant, C. P., First Lessons in Beekeeping; revised & rewritten edition, 1968, by M. G. Dadant and J. C. Dadant, p 73:

     The question is: when is the best time to super?

2. (television) Short for superimpose.
   • 1987, Television Quarterly, volumes 23-24:

     Even running a supered "Re-enactment" caption for a few seconds is poor policy, he feels […]

Anagrams

• Pre-Us, Purse, Rupes, puers, pures, purse, re-ups, reups, rupes, sprue

Chinese

Etymology 1

From English super. Popularized by Eric Tsang in the Super Trio series.

Pronunciation

Interjection

super

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) Used when a tied or draw situation occurs, or when one is suggesting a draw.

Etymology 2

Clipping of English supervisor.

Pronunciation

Noun

super

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, university slang) supervisor (of a student)
2. (Hong Kong Cantonese) supervisor; manager

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English super, French super, from Latin super.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Adjective

super (indeclinable)

1. (informal) super, great

   Synonym: supr

   Můj brácha si koupil super auto, to musíš vidět!

   Ten výlet byl prostě super!

Usage notes

• This word is slightly more formal than supr, yet still informal.

See also

• vynikající

Interjection

super

1. (informal) super

   Synonym: supr

Further reading

• super in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed via English super from Latin super (“over”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Adjective

super (neuter super or supert, plural super or (unofficial) supre)

1. (informal) terrific

Adverb

super

1. (informal) very

Synonyms

• herre
• mega

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English super, ultimately from Latin super.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsy.pər/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: su‧per

Adverb

super

1. (informal) very, extremely, super

   De kunststofuitvoering is wel super duur.

   The plastic version is super expensive.

Derived terms

• superheld
• superkracht
• superlijm

Adjective

super (not comparable)

1. great, super

   Die nieuwe karts zijn super.

   Those new karts are great.

Inflection

Related terms

• hyper
• over

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin super.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uper
• Hyphenation: su‧per

Preposition

super

1. above

Antonyms

• sub

French

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin super. Doublet of the inherited sur. See also hyper, borrowed from Ancient Greek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy.pɛʁ/

Adjective

super (invariable)

1. superb, great

Derived terms

• super amas stellaire
• super-amas d’étoiles
• super-amas stellaire
• super combiné

Descendants

• → Turkish: süper

Adverb

super

1. (informal) extremely, very (as an intensifier)

   Il est super beau

   he's very handsome

Synonyms

• vachement
• hyper

Interjection

super

1. great, fantastic

Related terms

• super-

Etymology 2

Probably a borrowing from a Germanic language, from *sūpaną (“to sip, sup”). If so then doublet of souper.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy.pe/

Verb

super

1. (regional) to suck, to sip

Conjugation

Further reading

• “super”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Anagrams

• peurs, pures, repus, rupes

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin super; modern usage influenced by English super.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzuːpɐ/ (prescriptive standard)
• IPA^(key): /ˈsu(ː)pɐ/ (Austria)

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

super (strong nominative masculine singular superer, not comparable)

1. (colloquial) super, great, awesome

   Synonyms: klasse, spitze

Usage notes

In the standard language, super is indeclinable; it is only rarely declined in colloquial usage.

Declension

Derived terms

• supi

Further reading

• “super” in Duden online
• “super” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Interlingua

Preposition

super

1. about (focused on a given topic)

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin super. Cf. sopra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsu.per/
• Rhymes: -uper
• Hyphenation: sù‧per

Adjective

super (invariable)

1. super

Noun

super m (invariable)

1. the best
2. superphosphate

Noun

super f (invariable)

1. the best grade of petrol

Anagrams

• pruse, ruspe, sprue

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *super, from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over, above”). Cognate to to Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “above”).

The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional. The ablative is from the ablative of cause.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈsu.per/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈsu.per/,

Preposition

super (+ accusative, ablative)

1. (with accusative or ablative) above, on the top of, upon

   Cibus super mensam est.

   The food is on the table.

2. (with accusative) above, beyond
   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Genesis.1.2:

     terra autem erat inanis et vacua et tenebrae super faciem abyssi et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas

     And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.

3. (with accusative) above, beyond, over, in addition to
4. (with ablative) concerning, regarding

Usage notes

• Used in many compound words, see super-.

Adverb

super (not comparable)

1. above, on top, over
2. upwards
3. moreover, in addition, besides, on top of this, too, also
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.29:

     Hīs accēnsa super

     having been inflamed by these in addition
     Or, translated more plainly:
     With all of this angering her
     (See: Juno (mythology).)

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:super.

Antonyms

• sub

Derived terms

Descendants

References

• “super”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “super”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• super in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the river is over its banks, is in flood: flumen super ripas effunditur
    
• super in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English super.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsu.pɛr/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -upɛr
• Syllabification: su‧per
• Homophone: super-

Adjective

super (not comparable, no derived adverb)

1. (colloquial) great, excellent

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dobry

Adverb

super (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) excellently

See also

• super-

Further reading

• super in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• super in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• súper (prescribed)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin super; cf. also English super. Doublet of the inherited sobre.

Adverb

super (not comparable)

1. (informal) super, very (intensifier)

   Synonyms: muito, bastante, bué, mega

   super fixe

   very nice

Adjective

super (invariable)

1. super

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French super.

Adjective

super m or f or n (indeclinable)

1. superb, great

Declension

Adverb

super

1. superbly

Sardinian

Alternative forms

• suber
• supre
• subre

Etymology

From Latin super.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /super/

Preposition

super

1. on, on top of, above

   Synonym: supra

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin super; cf. also English super. Doublet of the inherited sobre.

Adjective

super (invariable)

1. (intensifier) very, mega

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²sʉːpɛr/

Verb

super

1. present indicative of supa

Adjective

super (not comparable)

1. perfect, super, excellent, great

   det blir super! ― that's going to be great!

Declension

Only used predicatively.