superior

su•pe•ri•or

[[t]səˈpɪər i ər, sʊ-[/t]] adj.

1) higher in station, rank, degree, etc

2) above the average in excellence, merit, intelligence, etc

3) of higher grade or quality

4) greater in quantity or amount

5) showing a consciousness or feeling of being better than or above others

6) not yielding or susceptible (usu. fol. by to):

to be superior to temptation[/ex]

7) higher in place or position:

superior ground[/ex]

8) Bot.

a) bot situated above some other organ

b) bot (of a calyx) seeming to originate from the top of the ovary

c) bot (of an ovary) free from the calyx

9) anat. anat. (of an organ or part)

a) higher in place or position; situated above another

b) being toward the head

Compare inferior 5)

10) astron.

a) (of a planet) having an orbit outside that of the earth, as Mars and Jupiter

b) (of a conjunction of a superior planet) taking place between the sun and the planet

11) pri written or printed high on a line of text, as the “2” in a2b; superscript

Compare inferior 7)

12) one superior to another

13) pri

superscript 2)

14) rel the head of a monastery, convent, or the like

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Etymology: 1350–1400; < L, comp. of superus upper (der. of super; see super-) su•pe′ri•or•ly, adv.