adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
supernus1
supernus (feminine superna, neuter supernum, adverb superne)
Classical[sʊˈpɛr.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[suˈpɛr.nus]
Meaning
- adjectiveupper, that is located above
Dentēs nōn sunt testūdinī, set rōstrī marginēs acūtī supernā parte, interiōrem claudente pyxidum modō tantā ōris dūritiā ut lapidēs comminuant.
The turtle has no teeth, but the edges of the beak are sharp on the side above, which closes the lower jaw in the manner of boxes with such hardness that they can crush stones.77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 9.12.37 - adjectivecelestial, supernal, lofty
- adjectivefigurativelyrarenorthern
Fīnibus est Asiae latus artum lingua supernīs, Caspia quam mediam faciunt atque aequora pontī Euxīnī: locus hic discrīmen dīcitur esse
The northern limits of Asia Minor have a narrow flank, a tongue, which the Caspian Sea and the waters of the Black Sea create in the middle: this place is said to be the separation of Europe and Asia, distinguising the country from the fields.5th C. CE, Priscian (translator), Periegesis 29–33, original author: Dionysius Periegetes, in Poetae Latini Minores (volume V), Emil Baehrens (editor), Bibliotheca Teubneriana, Leipzig 1879, page 276
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | supernus | superna | supernum |
| genitive | supernī | supernae | supernī |
| dative | supernō | supernae | supernō |
| accusative | supernum | supernam | supernum |
| ablative | supernō | supernā | supernō |
| vocative | superne | superna | supernum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | supernī | supernae | superna |
| genitive | supernōrum | supernārum | supernōrum |
| dative | supernīs | supernīs | supernīs |
| accusative | supernōs | supernās | superna |
| ablative | supernīs | supernīs | supernīs |
| vocative | supernī | supernae | superna |
sŭpernus, a, um, adj. super,
I. that is above, on high, upper; celestial, supernal (mostly post-Aug.;
not in Cic. or Cæs.): pars oris, Plin. 7, 16, 15, § 69: vulnera, id. 2, 56, 57, § 147: Tusculum, lofty, i. e. standing on high ground, Hor. Epod. 1, 29; cf.: ballistae in humiliora ex supernis valentes, Amm. 19, 7, 5: superna (opp. inferna), Lucr. 5, 647: jactus ex supernis in infima, Gell. 9, 1, 2: album mutor in alitem Superna, above, Hor. C. 2, 20, 11 Muret. (al. superne): aquilones, qui alti supernique sunt, Gell. 2, 30, 9: partes, id. 12, 1, 13: numen, celestial, Ov. M. 15, 128: dei, Luc. 6, 430: lux, of the sun, id. 6, 733: leges, id. 9, 556: superna litora, the upper, i. e. northern shore, Mel. 2, 4.—Adv.: sŭpernē (with short e, Lucr. 6, 544; 6, 597; Hor. C. 2, 20, 11), from above, above, upwards: neve ruant caeli penetralia templa superne, Lucr. 1, 1105: superne in statione locata, id. 6, 192: desinat in piscem mulier formosa superne, Hor. A. P. 4: non peccat superne, id. S. 2, 7, 64: volvitur amnis, Verg. A. 6, 659: gladium superne jugulo defigit, Liv. 1, 25, 12; cf. id. 1, 51, 9; 7, 10, 9: hoc genus superne tendit, up, upwards, Plin. 19, 5, 25, § 76.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
supernus adj.
super, that is above, celestial, supernal : Tusculum, lofty , H.: numen, celestial , O.
Origins
Most likely a back-formation from superne.
Descendants
- Englishsupernal
- Frenchsupernel
- Italiansuperno