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super

 - 10 dictionary results

su⋅per

[soo-per]
–noun
1. Informal.
a. a superintendent, esp. of an apartment house.
b. supermarket.
c. supernumerary.
d. supervisor.
2. an article of a superior quality, grade, size, etc.
3. (in beekeeping) the portion of a hive in which honey is stored.
4. Printing. supercalendered paper.
5. Television. an additional image superimposed on the original video image: A super of the guest's name is included under the picture when the guest is introduced.
–adjective
6. of the highest degree, power, etc.
7. of an extreme or excessive degree.
8. Informal. very good; first-rate; excellent.
9. (of measurement) superficial.
10. superfine.
–adverb
11. Slang. very; extremely or excessively: super classy; a super large portion of food.

Origin:
1620–30; 1920–25 for def. 8; independent use of super- (construed as an adj. or adv.), or shortening of words prefixed with it

super-

a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, with the basic meaning “above, beyond.” Words formed with super- have the following general senses: “to place or be placed above or over” (superimpose; supersede), “a thing placed over or added to another” (superscript; superstructure; supertax), “situated over” (superficial; superlunary) and, more figuratively, “an individual, thing, or property that exceeds customary norms or levels” (superalloy; superconductivity; superman; superstar), “an individual or thing larger, more powerful, or with wider application than others of its kind” (supercomputer; superhighway; superpower; supertanker), “exceeding the norms or limits of a given class” (superhuman; superplastic), “having the specified property to a great or excessive degree” (supercritical; superfine; supersensitive), “to subject to (a physical process) to an extreme degree or in an unusual way” (supercharge; supercool; supersaturate), “a category that embraces a number of lesser items of the specified kind” (superfamily; supergalaxy), “a chemical compound with a higher proportion than usual of a given constituent” (superphosphate).

Origin:
< L super (prep. and v. prefix) above, beyond, in addition, to an especially high degree; akin to Gk hypér (see hyper- ), Skt upari; see over

super.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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su·per   (sōō'pər)   
n.  
  1. Informal An article or a product of superior size, quality, or grade.

  2. Informal

    1. A superintendent in an apartment or office building.

    2. A supernumerary.

  3. Printing A thin starched cotton mesh used to reinforce the spines and covers of books.

adj.   Informal
  1. Very large, great, or extreme: "yet another super Skyscraper" (Dylan Thomas).

  2. Excellent; first-rate: a super party.

adv.   Informal
Especially; extremely: a super accurate missile; was super careful.
tr.v.   su·pered, su·per·ing, su·pers Printing
To reinforce (a book spine or cover) with super.

[From super-.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
super

  1. mod.
    fine; excellent. : This report is just super!
  2. n.
    superintendent. : The super comes by every now and then to check on things.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

super- 
from L. adverb and preposition super "above, over, on the top (of), beyond, besides, in addition to," from PIE base *uper "over" (cf. Skt. upari, Avestan upairi "over, above, beyond," Gk. hyper, O.E. ofer "over," Goth. ufaro "over, across," Gaul. ver-, O.Ir. for), comparative of base *upo "under."

super 
"first-rate, excellent," 1837, from prefix in superfine (1682), denoting "highest grade of goods," from L. super "above, over, beyond" (see super-). Extended usage as a general term of approval is 1895 slang, revived 1960s. Rhyming reduplication form super-duper first attested 1940.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

super- pref.

  1. Above; over; upon: superstructure.

  2. Superior in size, quality, number, or degree: supersonic.

  3. Exceeding a norm: supersaturate.

  4. Excessive in degree or intensity: superexcitation.

  5. Containing a specified ingredient in an unusually high proportion: superoxide.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

SUPER
The successor to LOGLISP, based on LNF.
["New Generation Knowledge Processing: Final Report on the SUPER System", J Alan Robinson et al, CASE Center TR 8707, Syracuse U, 1987].
(1994-11-24)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
super
  1. superintendent

  2. supernumerary

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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