Superior
/suːˈpɪəriər/noun
Higher in rank, quality, or position; also, above or upper.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin, where it originally described what was physically or socially “higher,” and its root is the same one behind a whole family of “over/above” words across Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*uper
“over, above”
Latin
Latin
super
“above, over, beyond”
Latin
Latin
superior
“higher, upper; greater in rank”
Old French
Old French
superior
“higher, upper; of greater rank”
Middle English
English
superiour
“higher in position or rank”
Modern English
English
superior
“higher in rank, quality, or position”