Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SU-PE'RI-OR, a. [Sp. and L. from super, above; Fr. superieur; It. superiore.]

1. Higher; upper; more elevated in place; as, the superior limb of the sun; the superior part of an image. – Newton.
2. Higher in rank or office; more exalted in dignity; as, a superior officer; a superior degree of nobility.
3. Higher or greater in excellence; surpassing others in the greatness, goodness or value of any quality; as, a man of superior merit, of superior bravery, of superior talents or understanding, of superior accomplishments.
4. Being beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by; as, a man superior to revenge. There is not on earth a spectacle more worthy than a great man superior to his sufferings. – Spectator.
5. In botany, a superior flower has the receptacle of the flower above the germ; a superior germ is included within the corol. – Martyn.