ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Word parts›Prefixes›super/sur
PrefixLatin
super/sur
over, beyond
Latin super means above: superficial stays on the surface, surmount climbs over, and superfluous spills over what is needed.
Words built from it
- survive — to continue living beyond an event
sur- (beyond) + viv (live) - superficial — concerned only with the surface, not deep
super- (over) + faci (face, surface) - surpass — to go beyond or exceed
sur- (beyond) + pass (go) - superfluous — more than what is needed
super- (over) + flu (flow) - surmount — to overcome a difficulty
sur- (over) + mount (climb) - supercilious — arrogantly haughty and disdainful
super- (above) + cili (eyebrow)
Looks like it, but is not
- surreptitious — from Latin sub- 'secretly, under' + rapere 'to seize' (surripere); the sur- here comes from sub-, not from super 'over'
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Related word parts
- vit/viv — life, alive