Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SU'PER-FETE, v.t.

To conceive after a former conception. [Little used.] – Howell.

SU'PER-FICE, n.

Superficies; surface. [Little used.] [See Superficies.]

SU-PER-FI'CIAL, a. [It. superficiale; Sp. superficial; Fr. superficiel; from superficies.]

1. Being on the surface; not penetrating the substance of a thing; as, a superficial color; a superficial covering.
2. Composing the surface or exterior part; as, soil constitutes the superficial part of the earth.
3. Shallow; contrived to cover something. This superficial tale / Is but a preface to her worthy praise. – Shak.
4. Shallow; not deep or profound; reaching or comprehending only what is obvious or apparent; as, a superficial scholar; superficial knowledge. – Dryden.

SU-PER-FI-CI-AL'I-TY, n.

The quality of being superficial. [Not much used.] – Brown.

SU-PER-FI'CIAL-LY, adv.

1. On the surface only; as, a substance superficially tinged with a color.
2. On the surface or exterior part only; without penetrating the substance or essence; as, to survey things superficially. – Milton.
3. Without going deep or searching things to the bottom; slightly. He reasons superficially. I have laid down superficially my present thoughts. – Dryden.

SU-PER-FI'CIAL-NESS, n.

1. Shallowness; position on the surface.
2. Slight knowledge; shallowness of observation or learning; show without substance.

SU-PER-FI'CIES, n. [L. from super, upon, and facies, face.]

The surface; the exterior part of a thing. A superficies consists of length and breadth; as, the superficies of a plate or of a sphere. Superficies is rectilinear, curvilinear, plane, convex or concave.

SU'PER-FINE, a. [super and fine.]

Very fine or most fine; surpassing others in fineness; as, superfine cloth. The word is chiefly used of cloth, but sometimes of liquors; as, superfine wine or cider; and of other things, as superfine wire; superfine flour.

SU-PER'FLU-ENCE, n. [L. super and fluo, to flow.]

Superfluity; more than is necessary. [Little used.] – Hammond.

SU-PER-FLU'IT-ANCE, n. [L. super and fluito, to float.]

The act of floating above or on the surface. [Little used.] – Brown.

SU-PER-FLU'IT-ANT, a.

Floating above or on the surface. [Little used.] – Brown.

SU-PER-FLU'I-TY, n. [Fr. superfluité; It. superfluità; L. superfluitas; super and fluo, to flow.]

1. Superabundance; a greater quantity than is wanted; as, a superfluity of water or provisions.
2. Something that is beyond what is wanted; something rendered unnecessary by its abundance. Among the superfluities of life we seldom number the abundance of money.

SU-PER'FLU-OUS, a. [L. superfluus, overflowing; super and fluo, to flow.]

1. More than is wanted; rendered unnecessary by superabundance; as, a superfluous supply of corn.
2. More than sufficient; unnecessary; useless; as, a composition abounding with superfluous words. Superfluous epithets rather enfeeble than strengthen description. If what has been said will not convince, it would be superfluous to say more. Superfluous interval, in music, is one that exceeds a true diatonic interval by a semitone minor. – Cyc. Superfluous polygamy, [Polygamia superflua,] a kind of inflorescence or compound flower, in which the florets of the disk are hermaphrodite and fertile, and those of the ray, though female or pistiliferous only, are also fertile; designating the second order of the class Syngenesia of Linnæus. – Martyn. Superfluous sound or tone, is one which contains a semitone minor more than a tone. – Cyc.

SU-PER'FLU-OUS-LY, adv.

With excess; in a degree beyond what is necessary.

SU-PER'FLU-OUS-NESS, n.

The state of being superfluous or beyond what is wanted.

SU'PER-FLUX, n. [L. super and fluxus.]

That which is more than is wanted. [Little used.] – Shak.

SU-PER-FO-LI-A'TION, n. [super and foliation.]

Excess of foliation. [Not used.] – Brown.

SU'-PER-HU'MAN, a. [super and human.]

Above or beyond what is human; divine.

SU-PER-IM-PEND'ING, ppr.

Hanging over; threatening from above.

SU-PER-IM-POSE, v.t. [superimpo'ze. super and impose.]

To lay or impose on something else; as, a stratum of earth superimposed on a different stratum. – Kirwan.

SU-PER-IM-POS-ED, pp.

Laid or imposed on something. – Humboldt.

SU-PER-IM-POS-ING, ppr.

Laying on something else.

SU-PER-IM-PO-SI'TION, n.

The act of laying or the state of being placed on something else. – Kirwan.

SU-PER-IM-PREG-NA'TION, n. [super and impregnation.]

The act of impregnating upon a prior impregnation; impregnation when previously impregnated. – Coxe.

SU-PER-IN-CUM'BENT, a. [super and incumbent.]

Lying or resting on something else.