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superior

 [suh-peer-ee-er, soo-]   Origin

su·pe·ri·or

   [suh-peer-ee-er, soo-]
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.
EXPAND
6.
not yielding or susceptible (usually followed 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).
COLLAPSE
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.

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body cavity made up of the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity
narrow, fluid-filled space between the pleural membranes of the lung and the inner chest wall
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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Latin, equivalent to super(us) situated above (adj. derivative of super; see super-) + -ior comparative suffix; see -er4

Related forms
su·pe·ri·or·ly, adverb
qua·si-su·pe·ri·or, adjective
un·su·pe·ri·or, adjective
un·su·pe·ri·or·ly, adverb

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged

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 miles (564 km) long; 31,820 sq. mi. (82,415 sq. km); greatest depth, 1290 feet (393 meters); 602 feet (183 meters) 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. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To superior
Collins
World English Dictionary
superior (suːˈpɪərɪə)
 
—adj (foll by to)
1.  greater in quality, quantity, etc
2.  of high or extraordinary worth, merit, etc
3.  higher in rank or status: a superior tribunal
4.  displaying a conscious sense of being above or better than others; supercilious
5.  not susceptible (to) or influenced (by)
6.  placed higher up; situated further from the base
7.  astronomy
 a.  (of a planet) having an orbit further from the sun than the orbit of the earth
 b.  (of a conjunction) occurring when the sun lies between the earth and an inferior planet
8.  (of a plant ovary) situated above the calyx and other floral parts
9.  anatomy (of one part in relation to another) situated above or higher
10.  printing (of a character) written or printed above the line; superscript
 
—n
11.  a person or thing of greater rank or quality
12.  printing a character set in a superior position
13.  (often capital) the head of a community in a religious order
 
[C14: from Latin, from superus placed above, from super above]
 
usage  Superior should not be used with than: he is a better (not a superior) poet than his brother; his poetry is superior to (not superior than) his brother's
 
su'perioress
 
—fem n
 
superiority
 
—n
 
su'periorly
 
—adv

Superior (suːˈpɪərɪə, sjuː-)
 
—n
Lake Superior a lake in the N central US and S Canada: one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world and westernmost of the Great Lakes. Area: 82 362 sq km (31 800 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

superior
late 14c., "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 late 15c.; sense of "of a higher
EXPAND
nature or character" is attested from 1530s. Noun meaning "person of higher rank" is attested from late 15c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
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.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
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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