Where does “superior” come from?
Superior comes from Old French superior, from Latin superior, the comparative form of super meaning "over" or "above," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upo meaning "under" or "up from below."
superior (English): Higher in quality; Higher in rank; More...
Definitions
- Higher in quality; Higher in rank; More...
Ancestry of “superior”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | supérieur | superior; upper, senior; above; higher than |
| 2 | Old French | superior | — |
| 3 | Latin | superior | higher; superior; previous, preceding |
| 4 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 5 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upéri | alternative reconstruction of *upér |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |