# super

Pronunciation: US say "SOO-pur" /ˈsu.pɚ/; say "SOO-puh" UK /ˈs(j)uːpə(ɹ)/, AUS /ˈsʉː.pə(ɹ)/

## Adverb

1. Very, extremely, or completely; used informally to intensify an adjective or adverb, and sometimes a verb, as in I super appreciate it. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very or really, an informal word that makes another word stronger, as in 'super easy'.
   - _This new phone is super thin and light._
   - _The instructions were super clear and easy to follow._

## Adjective

2. Excellent; very good or of very high quality.
   - Simple: Very good or of very high quality.
   - _The dinner she cooked for us was absolutely super._
   - _They threw a super party to celebrate the championship._

## Noun

3. Short form of superintendent, especially a building's resident manager. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: Short form of superintendent, the person who manages and repairs a building.
   - _Our building's super keeps the boiler running all winter._
   - _When the elevator stalled, the super came right up._
4. Short for superhero: a fictional hero with extraordinary powers, skills, or equipment, especially in comics. *(slang)* — Clipping of superhero.
   - Simple: Short for superhero: a fictional hero with amazing powers, skills, or equipment.
   - _The comic introduced a super who controls the weather._
   - _The city's supers joined forces to stop the villain._
5. Short for superannuation: in Australia, money saved and invested for retirement; in New Zealand, the state pension. *(colloquial, Australia, New Zealand)* — Clipping of superannuation.
   - Simple: Short for superannuation: retirement savings in Australia, or the state pension in New Zealand.
   - _Most of his super is invested in a balanced fund._
   - _Workers can grow their super steadily over many years._
6. Short form of supervisor: a person who oversees a group of workers, especially on a shift or work site. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of supervisor.
   - Simple: Short form of supervisor: the boss in charge of a team of workers.
   - _Our shift super praised us for finishing the job early._
   - _New workers should check in with the shift super when they arrive._
7. Short form of supercomputer: one of the fastest and most powerful computers of its time, used for heavy scientific calculation. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of supercomputer.
   - Simple: Short for supercomputer: one of the fastest computers of its time, used for difficult scientific calculations.
8. Short form of supernumerary, especially a supernumerary actor. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of supernumerary; (theater) specifically, a supernumerary actor.
   - Simple: Short form of supernumerary, an extra actor with no speaking part.
   - _A super carried the queen's train across the stage._
   - _The company recruited locals to work as supers for the opera._
9. Short form of supertanker: a very large ship built to carry crude oil in bulk. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of supertanker.
   - Simple: Short form of supertanker: a giant ship that carries oil across the sea.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A caption or image laid over the main picture on screen.
- (verb) Clipping of superimpose: in film and television, to lay text or an image over another shot.
- (noun) Short form of supernaturalist, especially as contrasted with a 'bright.'
- (noun) Clipping of superhive: a removable box set on top of a beehive where bees store extra honey.
- (verb) Clipping of superhive: in beekeeping, to add a super, an extra honey box, on top of a hive.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2** — This comes from the prefix "super-", which passed through Middle English "super-" from Latin "super-", from Latin "super" meaning "above". It is a doublet of "over" and "hyper".
**Meanings 3–9** — It is an abbreviation formed by shortening a longer word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/super (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).