Where does “superego” come from?
Superego comes from English ego combined with English supernumerary, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ meaning "I" and Proto-Indo-European uperi and upo meaning "over" and "under."
superego (English): The part of the mind that acts as a self-critical...
Definitions
- The part of the mind that acts as a self-critical...
Ancestry of “superego”, step by step
| 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 |