preposition
super1
super (+ accusative, ablative)
Classical[ˈsʊ.pɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈsuː.per]
№ 401 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- ablativewith ablativewith accusative[of place] above; over; on the top of; upon
Cibus super mēnsam est.
The food is on the table. - ablativewith accusative[of place] above; beyond
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.c. 347 CE – 420 CE, Hieronymus, Vulgate Genesis.1.2 - ablativewith accusative[of measure] above, beyond, over, in addition to
- ablativewith ablativewith accusativeconcerning, regarding
In the readers how our graded readers gloss it
over, above
super — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 10, 12, 14, 15
sŭper, adj., v. superus.
sŭper-dūco, xi, ctum, 3, v. a. (postclass.),
I. to lead or draw over:
pampinum, Sid. Ep. 5, 17 med.: novercam tot liberis, to bring or put over, Capitol. M. Aur. fin.: novercam filio, Quint. Decl. 38.—II. To add, subjoin, Tert. Anim. 36; id. Cor. Mil. 11.
sŭpĕr-efflŭo, ĕre, v. n.,
I. to superabound, be superfluous (late Lat.), Ambros. in Psa. 118, Serm. 14, §
9: mensura, Vulg. Luc. 6, 38: quicquid, Paul. Nol. Carm. 35, 511: PECVNIA, Inscr. Murat. 1772, 8.—II. To be abundantly exalted above:
legi supereffluit doctrina Christi, Ambros. in Luc. 5, 34.sŭpĕr-effulgĕo, ēre, 2, v. n.,
I. to be more than effulgent (late Lat.), Rustic. c. Aceph. p. 1250.
sŭpĕr-ēmĭnĕo, ēre, v. a. and n.,
I. to overtop, to appear or be above, to rise above (poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
(a). Act.:
victor viros supereminet omnes, Verg. A. 6, 857: umero undas, id. ib. 10, 765: fluctus omnes, Ov. Tr. 1, 2, 49: quas omnes aspis supereminens, Amm. 22, 15, 27.—(b). Neutr.:
ut olivae premantur et jus superemineat, Col. 12, 49, 1; Sen. Q. N. 5, 15, 1: herba paulum supereminens extra aquam, Plin. 26, 8, 33, § 50 (al. semper eminens).—Hence, sŭpĕrēmĭnens, entis, P. a., rising above, prominent; comp., Fulg. Cont. Virg. p. 146. —Sup., Aug. Spir. et Lit. 65.sŭpĕr-excellens, entis, adj.,
I. very excellent, superexcellent, Salv. adv. Avar. 3, 18.
sŭpĕr-exsulto, āre, 1, v. n.,
I. to leap up, exult greatly, Symm. Ep. 5, 92; Cassiod. Complex. ad Ep. Jacob. 5.
sŭper-fēto, āre, v. n.,
I. to conceive anew while still with young, to superfetate, Plin. 10, 63, 83, § 179; 7, 11, 9, § 48; 8, 55, 81, § 219.
sŭper-fīo, fĭĕri, v. n.,
I. to be over and above, to be left, to remain (very rare;
not in Cic.): edepol te vocem (ad cenam) libenter, si superfiat locus, Plaut. Ep. 3, 2, 10; id. Mil. 2, 4, 3; id. Stich. 4, 2, 12; id. Trin. 2, 4, 108: quae superfieri possunt, Col. 12, 1, 5.sŭper-flŭo, ĕre, v. n. and a.
I.
I. Neutr., to run over, overflow (mostly postAug.; only once in Cic.; syn. redundo).
A. Lit.:
in aeneo vase leniter coquuntur, ne superfluant, Cels. 6, 18, 2: fons superfluit, Plin. 31, 4, 28, § 51: superfluentis Nili receptacula, Tac. A. 2, 61: si (Nilus) immodicus superfluxit, Sen. Ben. 6, 7, 3. — B. Trop.
1. To be superabundant, to superabound:
pecunia non superfluens, Sen. Ben. 1, 11, 5: virgines, id. Contr. 1, 3, 4: populus, id. ad Helv. 6, 11: claritas, Plin. 4, 7, 11, § 24.—b. Transf., to be superfluous:
nihil neque desit, neque superfluat, Quint. 8, 2, 22; so (opp. deesse) id. 12, 10, 16; cf. id. 10, 7, 13; Plin. 36, 15, 24, § 115.—2. To have a superabundance of a thing:
cum Venetis Aquileia superfluit armis, Sil. 8, 606: redundantes nos et superfluentes juvenili quādam dicendi impunitate et licentiā, etc., Cic. Brut. 91, 316; cf.: orator non satis pressus sed supra modum exsultans et superfluens, extravagant, Tac. Or. 18.—Absol.: superbus et superfluens (sc. divitiis), Cat. 29, 7.— * II. Act., to flow by or past:
nec quae dicentur, superfluent aures, Quint. 2, 5, 13 Spald.sŭper-gestus, a, um, Part. [gero]. *
I. Carried or heaped upon or over:
terra, Col. 11, 3, 6. — * II. Covered over, covered up:
orificium, App. M. 9, p. 237.sŭper-grĕdĭor (sŭpergrădĭor, Plin. 27, 12, 68, § 110), gressus, 3,
I. v. dep. a. and n. gradior, to step, walk, or go over (post-Aug.).
I. Lit.:
limen, Col. 7, 9, 13; Plin. 32, 10, 46, § 133: capram alteram decubuisse atque ita alteram proculcatae supergressam, Plin. 8, 50, 76, § 201.—II. Trop., to pass over, get over, surmount; to surpass, exceed, excel:
aetatis suae feminas pulchritudine, Tac. A. 13, 45: omnem laudem supergressa, Quint. 6, prooem. § 8: claritatem parentum animi magnitudine, Just. 42, 2, 3: alicujus res gestas, id. 44, 5: crudele praeceptum, supergressum omnia diritatis exempla, Amm. 28, 1, 25. — B. To live through, survive a period of time:
sexagin ta annos, Sen. Suas. 6, 6.—C. To be superior to, elevated above:
necessitates, Sen. Ep. 32, 5.?*! * a. Act. collat. form sŭpergrĕ-dĭo, dĕre, to go over, pass:
duodecimum aetatis annum supergresserat, App. M. 10, p. 238, 34 (dub.).— * b. sŭpergressus, a, um, in pass. signif., Pall. Nov. 4, 2.
sŭper-immĭnĕo, ēre, v. n.,
I. to hang over, overhang (very rare):
pastorem Ense sequens nudo superimminet, Verg. A. 12, 306: terrā superimminente, Sen. Q. N. 5, 15, 1: virgineusque pudor zonae superimminet artus, Avien. Arat. 962: mons superimminens, Hilar, in Psa. 124, 3.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
super praep. with acc. and abl.
1 super.
I. I. With abl., of place, over, above, upon, on : lateres, qui super musculo struantur, Cs.: ensis cui super Cervice pendet, H.: super Pindo, H.: requiescere Fronde super viridi, V.—Of time, during, in, at : Nocte super mediā, V.: rixa super mero Debellata, H.—Of relation, upon, about, of, concerning, respecting : hac super re scribere: litteras super tantā re exspectare, L.: super tali causā missi, N.: super arvorum cultu, V.: Mitte civilīs super Urbe curas, H.: decreta super iugandis Feminis, H.: super tali scelere suspectus, S. — Over and above, besides, beyond : Hortus fons, Et paulum silvae super his, H.—
II. II. With acc., of place, over, above, on the top of, upon, on : super terrae tumulum noluit quid statui: super lateres coria inducuntur, Cs.: super vallum praecipitari, S.: aqua super montium iuga concreta, L.: aquila super carpentum volitans, L.: Collis erat, collemque super planissima Area, O.: vestis super genua est, Cu.—Of place, above, beyond : Nomentanus erat super ipsum, Porcius infra, above him (at table), H.: super Numidiam Gaetulos accepimus, beyond Numidia , S.: super Sunium navigans, L. —Of time, during, at : super vinum et epulas, Cu. —Of measure, over, above, beyond, in addition to : quod alii super alios legati venirent, i. e. in succession , L.: seniores super sexaginta annos, L.: super solitos honores, L.: super LX milia, more than , Ta.—Fig., of official position, over, in charge of : super armamentarium positus, Cu.—In the phrase, super omnia, above all, before all : aetas et forma et super omnia Romanum nomen, L.: super omnia voltūs Accessere boni, O.
super incumbō cubuī, —, ere,
to lie down on, cast oneself upon, O.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *super, from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over; above”). Cognate to Ancient Greek ῠ̔πέρ (hŭpér, “above”), German über (“above; over”), Sanskrit उ॒परि॑ (upári, “above; upper”), Hindi ऊपर (ūpar, “above; top; up”), Odia ଉପର (upara, “above; up”) and Punjabi ਉੱਪਰ (uppar, “above; top; up”). The accusative is from the pre-PIE directional. The ablative is from the ablative of cause.