LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefifth declension

superficiēs

superficiēs f (genitive superficiēī)
Classical[sʊ.pɛrˈfɪ.ki.eːs]Ecclesiastical[su.perˈfiː.t͡ʃi.es]

Meaning

  1. the top, surface (upper side of a thing)
  2. a building (as opposed to the land on which it is built)
  3. a superficies

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativesuperficiēssuperficiēs
genitivesuperficiēīsuperficiērum
dativesuperficiēīsuperficiēbus
accusativesuperficiemsuperficiēs
ablativesuperficiēsuperficiēbus
vocativesuperficiēssuperficiēs

sŭperfĭcĭes, ēi, f. super-facies,
I. the upper side of a thing, the top, surface.
I. In gen. (post-Aug.): testudinum, the upper shell, Plin. 6, 22, 24, § 91; 6, 24, 28, § 109; 9, 10, 12, § 35: sardonychum, id. 37, 6, 23, § 89: aquae, the surface, Col. 8, 15, 3: arborum, the part that grows above ground, id. 4, 11, 1; Plin. 16, 31, 56, § 130; 19, 4, 19, § 56; Col. 11, 3, 21: vitis, id. Arb. 10, 2; 4, 29, 13; 4, 11, 2: aedis, the roof, Plin. 34, 3, 7, § 13: Ὑπερῷον superficies, cenaculum, percula, Gloss. Philox.: candelabri, the upper part, in which the light is placed, Plin. 34, 3, 6, § 11: terrae, Vulg. Gen. 2, 6 et saep.—
II. In partic.
A. Jurid. Lat., a building, as standing above the ground: cum aedes ex duabus rebus constent ex solo et superficie, Dig. 41, 3, 23: De superficiebus, ib. 43, 18: superficiem consules ex senatusconsulto aestimabunt, Cic. Att. 4, 1, 7; 4, 2, 5; Liv. 5, 54, 2; Dig. 23, 3, 32; 43, 17, 3, § 5; Col. 1, 5, 9; Inscr. Orell. 3286 al.— Also in the collat. form SVPERFICIVM, Inscr. Grut. 608, 8; Dig. 31, 3, 39; Kalend. Farnes. ap. Grut. 137, 2; 138, 2.—
B. In math., a superficies (only length and breadth), Plin. 11, 48, 108, § 260; Rhem. Fann. Pond. 107; Macr. Somn. Scip. 2, 2, 6.

Origins

From super- (“above, over”) + faciēs (“form, configuration, shape”), with the change in vowel likely influenced by -fex.

Descendants
  • Englishsuperficies
  • Frenchsuperficie
  • Romaniansuperficiefrom French superficie
  • Frenchsurface
  • GermanOberfläche
  • Italiansuperficie
  • Portuguesesuperficie
  • Spanishsuperficie
  • Asturiansuperficie
  • Dutchoppervlakte

In English words that came into English from superficiēs

  • superficialsuperficiālis
  • superficiessuperficiēs

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesSuperficiesSuperficies, SUPERFICIARIUS, The doctrine of the civil as of our own law, in respect of things attached to the soil, was that they became part of the …

Quick answers

What does superficiēs mean in Latin?
superficiēs, a noun, means “the top, surface (upper side of a thing); a building (as opposed to the land on which it is built); a superficies”.
What is the genitive of superficiēs?
The genitive singular is superficiēī. superficiēs is feminine, fifth declension.
How do you pronounce superficiēs?
In classical Latin, [sʊ.pɛrˈfɪ.ki.eːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [su.perˈfiː.t͡ʃi.es].