Where does “superbad” come from?
superbad (English) comes from English super, from English super-ego, from German Über-Ich, from German Ich, from Middle High German ich, from Old High German ih, from Proto-West Germanic ik, from Proto-Germanic *ek — I.
superbad (English): Very bad; villainous; Fine, excellent
Definitions
- Very bad; villainous; Fine, excellent
Ancestry of “superbad”, step by step
superbad traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English super
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | super | Of excellent quality, superfine; better than... |
| 2 | English | super-ego | Alternative spelling of superego |
| 3 | German | Über-Ich | superego |
| 4 | German | Ich | ego, the Ich; self, me, him, etc |
| 5 | Middle High German | ich | I |
| 6 | Old High German | ih | I |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ik | I |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *ek | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |
via English bad
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bad | Unfavorable; negative; not good; Not suitable or... |
| 2 | Middle English | bad | — |
| 3 | Old English | bæd | first/third-person singular preterite of biddan |
| 4 | Old English | biddan | to ask; to beg |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | biddjan | to ask, to make a request |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bidjaną | to make a request; to ask; to request, ask |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰidʰ- | to command; pot, bucket, barrel |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeydʰ- | to compel, force; to trust |