Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “surplus” come from?

Surplus comes from Middle French surplus, from Old French sorplus, meaning an amount left over or remaining.

surplus (English): That which remains when use or need is satisfied,...

Definitions

  1. That which remains when use or need is satisfied,...

Ancestry of “surplus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsurplus—
2Middle Frenchsurplus—
3Old Frenchsorplus—

Words derived from “surplus”

  • nonsurplus
Every word from Old French sorplus →