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surplus

 [sur-pluhs, -pluhs]   Origin

sur·plus

   [sur-pluhs, -pluhs] noun, adjective, verb, -plussed or -plused, -plus·sing or -plus·ing.
noun
1.
something that remains above what is used or needed.
2.
an amount, quantity, etc., greater than needed.
3.
agricultural produce or a quantity of food grown by a nation or area in excess of its needs, especially such a quantity of food purchased and stored by a governmental program of guaranteeing farmers a specific price for certain crops.
4.
Accounting.
a.
the excess of assets over liabilities accumulated throughout the existence of a business, excepting assets against which stock certificates have been issued; excess of net worth over capital-stock value.
b.
an amount of assets in excess of what is requisite to meet liabilities.
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adjective
5.
being a surplus; being in excess of what is required: surplus wheat.

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verb (used with object)
6.
to treat as surplus; sell off; retire: The government surplussed some of its desert lands.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English (noun) < Old French < Medieval Latin superplus, equivalent to super- super- + plus plus

Can be confused: surplice, surplus.

Synonyms
1. superabundance. See remainder.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
surplus (ˈsɜːpləs)
 
—n , pl -pluses
1.  a quantity or amount in excess of what is required
2.  accounting
 a.  an excess of total assets over total liabilities
 b.  an excess of actual net assets over the nominal value of capital stock
 c.  an excess of revenues over expenditures during a certain period of time
3.  economics
 a.  an excess of government revenues over expenditures during a certain financial year
 b.  an excess of receipts over payments on the balance of payments
 
—adj
4.  being in excess; extra
 
[C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin superplūs, from Latin super- + plūs more]

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

surplus
late 14c., from O.Fr. surplus, from M.L. superplus "excess, surplus," from L. super "over" super + plus "more" (see plus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

surplus definition


An unsold quantity of a good resulting from a lack of equilibrium in a market. For example, if a price is artificially high, sellers will bring more goods to the market than buyers will be willing to buy. (Compare shortage.)

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