Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “superficial” come from?

Superficial comes from Latin superficialis, formed from super and the root of facere meaning to make or do, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-.

superficial (English): Of or pertaining to the surface; Being near the...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to the surface; Being near the...

Ancestry of “superficial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinsuperficialisOf or pertaining to the surface, superficial
2Latinsuperficiēs—
3Latinfaciēs—
4Latinfaciō—
5Latin-toriumnominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative...
6Latin-tōrius—
7Latin-tor-er
8Proto-Italic-tōr—
9Proto-Indo-European-tōrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
10Proto-Indo-European-tor-s—

Words derived from “superficial”

  • superficially
  • superficiality
  • surficial
  • superficialness
  • nonsuperficial
  • superficialist
  • superficialize
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tor-s →