Where does “superiority” come from?
Superiority comes from Old French superiorite, from Medieval Latin superioritas, from Latin superior meaning "higher or upper," derived from super meaning "over or above," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European upo meaning "under" or "up from below."
superiority (English): The state of being superior; The right which the...
Definitions
- The state of being superior; The right which the...
Ancestry of “superiority”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | superiorite | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | superioritas | — |
| 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- | — |