Where does “super” come from?
Super comes from English supernumerary, which derives from Proto-Indo-European uperi and upo, meaning "over" or "above."
super (English): Of excellent quality, superfine; better than...
Definitions
- Of excellent quality, superfine; better than...
Ancestry of “super”, step by step
super traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English super-ego
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | super-ego | Alternative spelling of superego |
| 2 | German | Über-Ich | superego |
| 3 | German | Ich | ego, the Ich; self, me, him, etc |
| 4 | Middle High German | ich | I |
| 5 | Old High German | ih | I |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | ik | I |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *ek | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |
via French super
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | super | superb, great; extremely, very; great, fantastic |
| 2 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 3 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | eḱs | out of |
Words derived from “super”