different between superman vs superperson

English

Etymology

A calque of German Übermensch; super- +? man. The German word was introduced by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) in his work Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1883), and rendered in English as superman by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) in the play Man and Superman (1903) and by Thomas Common (1850–1919) in his 1909 translation of Nietzsche’s work. Some scholars regard this word as not properly conveying the meaning of Übermensch, and prefer to use the German word or overman.

The “person of extraordinary powers” sense was reinforced by the DC Comics’ character Superman, who first appeared in Action Comics #1 dated June 1938.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s(j)u?p?mæn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?sup?mæn/
• Hyphenation: su?per?man

Noun

superman (plural supermen)

1. (chiefly philosophy) An imagined superior type of human being representing a new stage of human development; an übermensch, an overman. [from 1903.]
   • 1909, Friedrich Nietzsche; Thomas Common, transl., “Zarathustra's Prologue”, in Thus Spake Zarathustra; a Book for All and None (Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche; 4), Edinburgh, T. N. Foulis, OCLC 1210069; republished as Thus Spake Zarathustra, New York, N.Y.: The Modern Library, [1940s?], OCLC 11993131, page 6:

     And Zarathustra spake thus unto the people: / I teach you the Superman. Man is something that is to be surpassed. What have ye done to surpass man? / [...] What is the ape to man? A laughing-stock, a thing of shame. And just the same shall man be to the Superman: a laughing-stock, a thing of shame.
2. A person of extraordinary or seemingly superhuman powers.

Alternative forms

• Superman

Antonyms

• netherman

Translations

See also

• superwoman

Further reading

• Nietzsche's Übermensch on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• superman on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• manpurse, per nasum

Czech

Etymology

English superman

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?sup?rman]

Noun

superman m

1. superman

See also

• nad?lov?k
• superhrdina

Further reading

• superman in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• superman in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989
• superman in Akademický slovník cizích slov, 1995, at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English superman.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy.p??.man/

Noun

superman m (plural supermans)

1. (philosophy) superman
2. superman (man with superpowers)

See also

• superwoman, superfemme, surfemme
• surhomme

Further reading

• “superman” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English superman, from super- +? man.

Noun

superman m (invariable)

1. superman

English

Etymology

super- +? person

Noun

superperson (plural superpersons or superpeople)

1. A person with remarkable talents or abilities; a superman or superwoman.