Uber
/ˈuːbər/noun
An informal English adjective meaning outstanding, superior, or extreme, derived from the German word über.
Did you know?The technology company Uber adopted its name from German über, meaning “above” or “superior,” while the word itself ultimately descends from an ancient Indo-European root for “over.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*uper
“Over, above, or beyond”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hypér
“Above, beyond, or excessively”
Classical Latin
Latin
super
“Above, over, or beyond”
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*uber
“Over or across”
Old High German
Old High German
ubar
“Above, over, or across”
Modern German
German
über
“Over, above, across, or exceedingly”
20th–21st Century
English
uber
“Outstanding, superior, or extreme; later popularized as a brand name”