*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of super

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Italic *super Latin super Latin super-lbor. English super- English super From super- (prefix), from Middle English super-, f

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adv

Very; extremely (used like the prefix super-). · Absolutely; utterly.

adj

Of excellent quality, superfine. · Better than average, better than usual; wonderful.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Italic *super Latin super Latin super-lbor. English super- English super From super- (prefix), from Middle English super-, from Latin super-, from super (“above”). Doublet of over and hyper.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":from",
        "3": "super-",
        "id": "excellent",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *úp\nProto-Indo-European *-er\nProto-Indo-European *upér\nProto-Italic *super\nLatin super\nLatin super-lbor.\nEnglish super-\nEnglish super\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"above\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"above\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"above\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*úp\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"alt\" : \"*-er\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-r\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*upér\", \"gloss\" : \"above, over\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*super\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"super\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"super-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"super-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"super\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"excellent\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"super\" id=\"English:_excellent\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "super-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English super-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "super-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin super-"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over",
        "3": "hyper"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of over and hyper"
    },
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        "1": "en",
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*úp",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/úp"
    ],
    [
      "*-er",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-r"
    ],
    [
      "*upér",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/upér#Proto-Indo-European:_above"
    ],
    [
      "*super",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/super#Proto-Italic:_above"
    ],
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      "super",
      "super#Latin:_above"
    ],
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      "super-",
      "super-#Latin"
    ],
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      "super-",
      "super-#English"
    ],
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      "super-",
      "super-#English"
    ],
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      "super-",
      "super-#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "super-",
      "super-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "super",
      "super#Latin"
    ],
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      "over",
      "over#English"
    ],
    [
      "hyper",
      "hyper#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Very; extremely (used like the prefix super-).",
        "Absolutely; utterly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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        "Of excellent quality, superfine.",
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      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of superannuation. · Clipping of supercomputer. · Clipping of superhero. · Clipping of superhive.

verb

Clipping of superhive. · Clipping of superimpose.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Abbreviation by shortening.

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "clipping"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
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      "args": {
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        "id": "clipping"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of superannuation.",
        "Clipping of supercomputer.",
        "Clipping of superhero.",
        "Clipping of superhive."
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "New-Zealand",
        "abbreviation",
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    },
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        "Clipping of superimpose."
      ],
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        "colloquial"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for super →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c3VwZXI