Supernumerary Actors: Origin of the Word Super

How the word super conquered the world

Chapter 1

From ancient Rome to high-flying Latin

Chapter 2

The comic book explosion and the heroic noun

Chapter 3

Extreme science and the power of the prefix

Chapter 4

The slang revolution and modern hyperbole

YOUR GOAL

Master of How the word super conquered the world

Ch 1 · From ancient Rome to high-flying Latin

sonia The arrival of the word super in English

sonia The Latin Word Super

It was just a Latin word for 'above', now we're living super.

sonia Silent supernumerary actors populated massive theater stages

The supernumerary actors

sonia In the 19th century, "super" became a theatrical noun for background actors.

Entering the English language

sonia The word entered English in the 15th century, transitioning from French Anglo-Norman roots.

Super Word Fly

BETA

sonia Swipe the flying words to discover the Latin origin and modern uses of super.

Fun Fact

Ancient roots: The Latin word "super" is a linguistic cousin of the English word "over," both sharing an ancient Proto-Indo-European ancestor.

Glossary

super (adjective)
Very good or pleasant; excellent. Romans used this Latin word as a preposition meaning above or over.

Gossip

Which classic "super" word sounds the coolest?

Quiz

What did the original Latin preposition "super" mean?

sonia The linguistic history of the Latin root word super

Gossip

Where would you rather act as an extra?

Quiz

Around which century did the word "super" first enter the English language?

sonia How scholars created the English prefix super

Quiz

Which linguistic ancestor is the shared root of both "super" and the English word "over"?

Quiz

Which of these common "super-" words was coined first in English during the 15th century?

Quiz

What does the theatrical term "supernumerary" literally mean in Latin?

Quiz

Which ancient Greek word is a cognate (linguistic relative) of the Latin word "super"?

Quiz

What is the Latin word "super" most closely related to in Sanskrit?

Quiz

In 19th-century theater, what did the slang term "super" refer to?