superior
su·pe·rior (sə pir′ē ər)
adjective
- higher in space; placed higher up; upper
- high or higher in order, status, rank, etc.
- greater in quality or value than: with to
- above average in quality; excellent
- refusing to give in to or be affected by: with to a person superior to temptation
- showing a feeling of being better than others; haughty
- more comprehensive or inclusive; generic: said of terms, concepts, etc.
- Anat. located above or directed upward
- Astron.
- farther from the sun than the earth is: said of six planets
- designating that conjunction which occurs when the sun is directly between the earth and an inferior planet
- Bot.
- attached above some other organ, as the ovary of a hypogynous flower
- of the upper or adaxial petal of an axillary flower
- Printing placed above the type line, as 2 in x
Etymology: OFr < L, compar. of superus, that is above < super: see super-
noun
- a superior person or thing
- the head of a religious community
Related Forms:
- superiorly su·pe′·ri·orly adverb
Su·pe·rior (sə pir′ē ər)
Etymology: orig. so called in Fr (Supérieur), from its position above Lake Huron
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Browse dictionary definitions near superior
Share on Facebook