superfluous

/ˈsuːpəflˌwʌs/SOO-purfl-wuhs

/ˈsupɚflˌwʌs/SOO-purfl-wuhs

Meaningoverflowing

Common meaning: more than is needed

superover, above
fluto flowLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 763 · scan
ousadjective ending: full of, having

‘over, above’ + ‘to flow’ → superfluous

Journey through time

Latinfluō, flūxī, flūxum‘to flow’
Englishsuperfluous‘more than is needed’ · today

super- also in: supervene supervise superficial superintend superlative

flu also in: flux fluid fluent affluent influence

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin fluō ‘to flow’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry fluō, p. 763 · dictionary scan

Roots

fluō, flūxī, flūxum Latin “to flow”

Related words

affluent fluent fluid flux influence mellifluous

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