A Dictionary of Cont..

sunk 490
mmk; sunken. See sink.
sonlight; sunshine. Sunlight means simply the
light of the sun (They have sunlight there only
half the year). Sunshine is used in a number of
senses. It may describe the shining of the sun,
its direct light, or a place where its direct rays
fall (They lie in the sunshine for hours, getting
a tan). Sunshine is also used figuratively to
describe brightness or radiance, cheerfulness,
happiness (the sunshine of your smile) or a
source of cheer or happiness (You are my sunshine).
sunshade. See parasol.
super-. It is an interesting reflection on our democratic
and mass-produced times that the prefix
super-, especially in America, should be so unreservedly
a term of commendation. Anything
which is above the ordinary or is excessive is,
apparently, admirable. We have supermarkets
and superhighways and superservice stations
and, colloquially and among college humorists,
the prefix itself, unprefixed to anything (Boy,
that was super!), is the height of praise. It was
not always so. Time was that men disliked the
excessive. In many older words (supercilious,
supererogate, superannuated) the prefix suggests
something unpleasant and undesirable. The
furious Kent when upbraiding the contemptible
Oswald (King Lear, Act II, Scene ii, line 19)
can think of nothing more despicable to call
him than superserviceable. Oswald would be
rather pleased today.
superfluous. See redundant.
superhuman effort. As a hyperbole for an extraordinary
exertion, a superhuman effort is a
clich6.
superincumbent. See recumbent.
superlative degree. See comparison of adjectives
and adverbs.
superlative; excellent. Superlative means of the
highest kind or order, surpassing all others,
supreme. It should refer to qualities (He played
tennis with superlative skill), while excellent,
which means possessing excellent or superior
merit, remarkably good, should refer to persons
and things (He is an excellent tennis player and
is justified in insisting on excellent equipment).
supernatural. See unnatural.
supernormal. See abnormal.
superscription; subscription; signature. A superscription
is the act of superscribing (writing
above or on top of something) or that which is
superscribed, such as an address on a letter, or
the like. Authorities in England say that superscription
applies only to a heading of a letter,
but American authorities will also allow it as
the address on the envelope. Subscription (writing
under) means the writing of one’s name
under a document or statement as an indication
that the sentiments expressed have the writer’s
approval or that he agrees to be bound by terms
set forth. By extension subscription has come
to mean a sum of money, the payment of which
is guaranteed by signing one’s name under a
statement or agreement. Subscription is often
used as a synonym for signature, though sig-
nature is the better word in this sense, since It is
unequivocal. Subscription also means assent,
agreement, or approval, expressed by, or as by,
signing one’s name. See also signature; autograph.
supersede; surpass. These words are not interchangeable.
Supersede means to replace, in
power, authority, effectiveness, acceptance, or
use (The electric refrigerator has superseded
the icebox). Surpass means to go beyond in
excellence or achievement, to outdo (His work
surpassed that of all his rivals).
supine (noun). Some grammarians call an infmitive
with to, such as to tulk, a supine. In this
book an infinitive with to is called simply an
infinitive, and a true infinitive, such as walk, is
called the simple form of the verb. See simple
verb form.
supine (adjective). See prone.
supplant. See replace.
supple and subtle are not to be confused. A supple
mind is an agile mind, a mind which readily
adapts itself. A subtle mind is one characterized
by acuteness or penetration, or one which is
skillful, clever, or ingenious, especially in perceiving
fine but significant distinctions.
supplement and complement both indicate an addition
to something. To complement is to provide
something felt to be lacking or needed. It is
often applied to putting together two things,
each of which supplies what is lacking in the
other, to make a complete whole (They complement
one another as doubles players: Joe is
excellent at the net, Tom on the base line).
Things that so fit together, each supplying a lack
in the other, are called complements and are
said to be complementary or complementary to
each other. Supplement means to add to. No
lack or deficiency is necessarily implied, nor is
there an idea of a definite relation (In season
he supplemented his diet with fresh fruit but
otherwise mode little change in his austere
regime).
rmpplementary; complementary; additional. These
words all imply increase in number or quantity.
Complementary suggests an essential increase
required to make something complete (His writing
was complementary to his teaching; his
articles on education gained him an enviable
reputation nnd his reputation procured him a
professorship). Supplemen:ary emphasizes not
so much essential increase as the addition of
something which was previously lacking (The
money earned from his writings was supplementary
to his salary as a teacher; it enabled him to
enjoy many comforts and luxuries which he
otherwise would not have been able to afford)
Additional means simply added (Every month.
every day indeed, produces its own novelties,
with the additional zest that they ure novelties),
It is the least restrictive of the three adjectives.
supplied. See issued.
supporter. See proponent.
suppose may be followed by an infinitive, as in
he supposed me to know all about it, or by a
clause, as in he supposed I knew all about il.