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superior

 - 9 dictionary results

su⋅pe⋅ri⋅or

  [suh-peer-ee-er, soo-]
Use superior in a Sentence
–adjective
1. higher in station, rank, degree, importance, etc.: a superior officer.
2. above the average in excellence, merit, intelligence, etc.: superior math students.
3. of higher grade or quality: superior merchandise.
4. greater in quantity or amount: superior numbers.
5. showing a consciousness or feeling of being better than or above others: superior airs.
6. not yielding or susceptible (usually fol. by to): to be superior to temptation.
7. higher in place or position: We moved our camp to superior ground.
8. Botany.
a. situated above some other organ.
b. (of a calyx) seeming to originate from the top of the ovary.
c. (of an ovary) free from the calyx.
9. Anatomy. (of an organ or part)
a. higher in place or position; situated above another.
b. toward the head. Compare inferior (def. 7).
10. Printing. written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a2b; superscript. Compare inferior (def. 9).
–noun
11. one superior to another.
12. Also called superscript. Printing. a superior letter, number, or symbol. Compare inferior (def. 11).
13. Ecclesiastical. the head of a monastery, convent, or the like.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME (adj.) < L, equiv. to super(us) situated above (adj. deriv. of super; see super- ) + -ior comp. suffix; see -er 4

Related forms:
su⋅pe⋅ri⋅or⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
2. excellent, distinguished, unrivaled, first-rate, matchless. 5. haughty, arrogant, snobbish.

Su⋅pe⋅ri⋅or

  [suh-peer-ee-er, soo-]
–noun
1. Lake, a lake in the N central United States and S Canada: the northernmost of the Great Lakes; the largest body of fresh water in the world. 350 mi. (564 km) long; 31,820 sq. mi. (82,415 sq. km); greatest depth, 1290 ft. (393 m); 602 ft. (183 m) above sea level.
2. a port in NW Wisconsin, on Lake Superior. 29,571.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To superior
su·pe·ri·or   (sŏŏ-pîr'ē-ər)   
adj.  

  1. Higher than another in rank, station, or authority: a superior officer.

  2. Of a higher nature or kind.

  3. Of great value or excellence; extraordinary.

  4. Greater in number or amount than another: an army defeated by superior numbers of enemy troops.

  5. Affecting an attitude of disdain or conceit; haughty and supercilious.

  6. Above being affected or influenced; indifferent or immune: "Trust magnates were superior to law" (Gustavus Myers).

  7. Located higher than another; upper.

  8. Botany Inserted or situated above the perianth. Used of an ovary.

  9. Printing Set above the main line of type.

  10. Logic Of wider or more comprehensive application; generic. Used of a term or proposition.

n.  

  1. One that surpasses another in rank or quality.

  2. Ecclesiastical The head of a religious community, such as a monastery, abbey, or convent.

  3. Printing A superior character, as the number 2 in x2.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, comparative of superus, upper, from super, over; see uper in Indo-European roots.]
su·pe'ri·or'i·ty (-ôr'ĭ-tē, -ŏr'-) n., su·pe'ri·or·ly adv.
Su·pe·ri·or   (sŏŏ-pîr'ē-ər)   
The largest and westernmost of the Great Lakes, between the north-central United States and southern Ontario, Canada. It was probably first sighted by French explorers in the early 1600s.
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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Word Origin & History

superior  (adj.)
1390, "higher in position," from O.Fr. superior, from L. superiorem (nom. superior) "higher," comparative of superus "situated above, upper," from super "above, over" (see super-). Meaning "higher in rank or dignity" is attested from 1485; sense of "of a higher nature or character" is attested from 1533. Noun meaning "person of higher rank" is attested from 1483.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: su·pe·ri·or
Function: adjective
: of higher status, rank, or priority
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: su·pe·ri·or
Pronunciation: su-'pir-E-&r
Function: adjective
1 : situated toward the head and further away fromthe feet than another and especially another similar part of an upright body especially of a human being superior medial edge of the patient's right scapula —J. M. Lewis>—compare INFERIOR 1
2 : situated in a more anterior or dorsal position in the body of a quadruped—compare INFERIOR 2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

superior su·pe·ri·or (s&oobreve;-pēr'ē-ər)
adj.

  1. Higher than another in rank, station, or authority.

  2. Situated above or directed upward.

  3. Situated nearer the top of the head.

su·pe'ri·or·ly adv.

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

Superior

city, seat (1854) of Douglas county, extreme northwestern Wisconsin, U.S. It lies at the western tip of Lake Superior, opposite Duluth, Minnesota, from which it is separated by St. Louis Bay. A port of entry, it shares an extensive natural harbour with Duluth, forming the western terminus of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Learn more about Superior with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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