different between ceiling vs superior

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?si?l??/
• Rhymes: -i?l??
• Homophone: sealing
• Hyphenation: ceil?ing

Etymology 1

From Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix).

Noun

ceiling (plural ceilings)

1. The overhead closure of a room.

2. The upper limit of an object or action.
   • 2008, N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics (volume 1, page 114)

     Market forces naturally move the economy to the equilibrium, and the price ceiling has no effect on the price or the quantity sold.

3. (aviation) The highest altitude at which an aircraft can safely maintain flight.
4. (meteorology) The measurement of visible distance from ground or sea level to an overcast cloud cover; under a clear sky, the ceiling measurement is identified as "unlimited."

5. (mathematics) The smallest integer greater than or equal to a given number.

6. (nautical) The inner planking of a vessel.
7. (finance) The maximum permitted level in a financial transaction.
8. (architecture) The overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room.

Synonyms

• ceil (poetic)
• (mathematics): ceil

Antonyms

• floor

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

ceiling

1. present participle of ceil

Anagrams

• cieling

English

Alternative forms

• superiour (British) (obsolete)

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Old French superiour, from Latin superior (“higher, upper”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /su??p??.?i.?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /s??p??.i.?/
• Rhymes: -???i?(?)

Adjective

superior (not comparable)

1. Higher in rank, status, or quality.
   1. Of high standard or quality.
   2. Greater in size or power.
   3. (superior to) Beyond the power or influence of; too great or firm to be subdued or affected by.
   4. Greater or better than average.

      Synonym: extraordinary

2. Courageously or serenely indifferent (as to something painful or disheartening).
3. (typography) Printed in superscript.

4. Located above or out; higher in position.
   1. (botany) (of a calyx) Above the ovary; said of parts of the flower which, although normally below the ovary, adhere to it, and so appear to originate from its upper part.
   2. (botany) (of an ovary) Above and free from the other floral organs.
   3. (botany) Belonging to the part of an axillary flower which is toward the main stem.

      Synonym: posterior

   4. (botany) (of the radicle) Pointing toward the apex of the fruit.

      Synonym: ascending

5. (taxonomy) More comprehensive.

6. Affecting or assuming an air of superiority.

   Synonym: supercilious

7. (astronomy) (of a planet) Closer to the Earth than to the Sun.

Usage notes

• Superior and inferior are generally followed by to; than is sometimes used mistakenly.

Antonyms

• inferior

Coordinate terms

• (dentistry location adjectives) anterior,? apical,? apicocoronal,? axial,? buccal,? buccoapical,? buccocervical,? buccogingival,? buccolabial,? buccolingual,? bucco-occlusal,? buccopalatal,? cervical,? coronal,? coronoapical,? distal,? distoapical,? distobuccal,? distocervical,? distocoronal,? distofacial,? distogingival,? distoincisal,? distolingual,? disto-occlusal,? distoclusal,? distocclusal,? distopalatal,? facial,? gingival,? incisal,? incisocervical,? inferior,? labial,? lingual,? linguobuccal,? linguo-occlusal,? mandibular,? maxillary,? mesial,? mesioapical,? mesiobuccal,? mesiocervical,? mesiocoronal,? mesiodistal,? mesiofacial,? mesioincisal,? mesiogingival,? mesiolingual,? mesio-occlusal,? mesioclusal,? mesiocclusal,? mesiopalatal,? occlusal,? palatal,? posterior,? proximal,? superior,? vestibular ^{(Category: en:Dentistry) [edit]}

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

superior (plural superiors)

1. A person of higher rank or quality, especially a colleague in a higher position.

   Synonym: overling

   1. The senior person in a monastic community.
   2. The head of certain religious institutions and colleges.

      Hyponyms: father superior, mother superior

2. (printing) A superior letter, figure, or symbol.

   Synonym: superscript

3. (Scotland, law, historical) One who has made an original grant of heritable property to a tenant or vassal, on condition of a certain annual payment (feu duty) or of the performance of certain services.

Translations

References

• “superior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• “superior”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary, (Please provide a date or year).
• superior in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• superior at OneLook Dictionary Search

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior, attested from 1653.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /su.p?.?i?o/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /su.pe.?i?o?/

Adjective

superior (masculine and feminine plural superiors)

1. superior, higher, high

   Antonym: inferior

Related terms

• superioritat

Noun

superior m or f (plural superiors)

1. superior

References

Further reading

• “superior” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “superior” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “superior” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Latin

Etymology

Comparative of superus (“that is above, upper, higher”), from super (“above, over”, preposition) +? -us (adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /su?pe.ri.or/, [s???p??i?r]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /su?pe.ri.or/, [su?p???i?r]

Adjective

superior (neuter superius, positive superus); third declension

1. (of place) Higher, upper.
2. (of time or order of succession) Former, past, previous, preceding.
   1. (especially of age, time of life, etc.) Older, elder, senior, more advanced, former.
3. (of strength or success in battle or any contest) Victorious, conquering, stronger, superior.
4. (of quality, condition, number, etc.) Higher, more distinguished, greater, superior.

Inflection

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Descendants

References

• superior in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• superior in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• superior in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /su.p???jo?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /su.pe.?i.?o?/
• Hyphenation: su?pe?ri?or

Adjective

superior m or f (plural superiores, comparable)

1. upper, higher
2. better
3. superior

Antonyms

• inferior

Derived terms

• superiormente

Related terms

• superioridade

Noun

superior m (plural superiores, feminine superiora, feminine plural superioras)

1. boss
2. head of a monastery

Further reading

• “superior” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French supérieur, Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?su.pe.ri?or/

Adjective

superior m or n (feminine singular superioar?, masculine plural superiori, feminine and neuter plural superioare)

1. superior

Declension

Antonyms

• inferior

Related terms

• superioritate

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin superior.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /supe??jo?/, [su.pe??jo?]

Adjective

superior (plural superiores)

1. upper, higher
2. better
3. superior

Derived terms

Noun

superior m (plural superiores, feminine superiora, feminine plural superioras)

1. boss

   Synonyms: jefe, jefa, patrón, patrona

Related terms

• superioridad

Further reading

• “superior” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.