<B>supersonic, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>of or having to do with sound waves beyond the limit of human audibility (above frequencies of 20,000 cycles per second); ultrasonic. <BR> <I>Ex. When mutations are induced in fruit flies by ... supersonic vibrations or some other artificial means, most of them are lethal (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>greater than the speed of sound in air at normal pressure and temperature (about 1,100 feet or 335 meters per second). <BR> <I>Ex. The difference in air flow between subsonic and supersonic speeds in turn has created a wholly new branch of aerodynamics (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>capable of moving at a speed greater than the speed of sound. <BR> <I>Ex. supersonic aircraft.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a supersonic wave. adv. <B>supersonically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="supersonics">
<B>supersonics, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the science dealing with the nature and uses of supersonic waves and the phenomena associated with them; ultrasonics. </DL>
<A NAME="supersonictransport">
<B>supersonic transport,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large jet aircraft that flies 1200 to 1800 miles per hour. (Abbr:) SST </DL>
<A NAME="superspace">
<B>superspace, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) a theoretical expanse in which all three-dimensional spaces are points. <BR> <I>Ex. Superspace is a mathematical construction that allows physicists to order all the possible three-dimensional spaces in such a way that they can be compared with one another in the way physical theories apply to them (Science News). In superspace there is no time (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superspecies">
<B>superspecies, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a group of species which are related, especially on a geographical orecological basis. </DL>
<A NAME="superspectacle">
<B>superspectacle, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a very spectacular show or production. <BR> <I>Ex. "Spartacus" is a new kind of Hollywood movie: a superspectacle with spiritual vitality and moral force (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superspeed">
<B>superspeed, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> extremely high speed, especially sonic or supersonic speed. <BR> <I>Ex. Planes at superspeeds encounter stresses not ordinarily met (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superstar">
<B>superstar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an exceptionally successful star, as in sports or motion pictures. <BR> <I>Ex. Why don't they wait until he's been in the league for six, seven or eight years before they begin comparing him with the great stars, let alone superstars like Musial (Birmingham News).</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>an exceptionally large star or other heavenly body. <BR> <I>Ex. If it stemmed from the explosion of a star, it must have been a truly gigantic explosion--the disintegration of a superstar at least 100,000 times more massive than our sun! (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a heavenly body that is a powerful source of electromagnetic waves. </DL>
<A NAME="superstate">
<B>superstate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a very large or powerful state. </DL>
<A NAME="superstition">
<B>superstition, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an unreasoning fear of what is unknown, mysterious, or imaginary, especially in connection with religion; worship based on fear or ignorance; unreasoning expectation. <BR> <I>Ex. Superstition is the religion of feeble minds (Edmund Burke).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a belief or practice founded on ignorant fear or mistaken reverence. <BR> <I>Ex. A common superstition considers 13 an unlucky number. New truths ... begin as heresies and ... end as superstitions (Thomas H. Huxley).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superstitious">
<B>superstitious, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> full of superstition; likely to believe superstitions; caused by superstition. <BR> <I>Ex. a superstitious habit, a superstitious belief. Gamblers and adventurers are generally superstitious (Bret Harte).</I> adv. <B>superstitiously.</B> noun <B>superstitiousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="superstratum">
<B>superstratum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ta,</B> <B>-tums.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a stratum or layer deposited over or upon something. </DL>
<A NAME="superstringtheory">
<B>superstring theory,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) any theory based on supersymmetry in which the basic units of matter are strings (one-dimensional curves). <BR> <I>Ex. We presented a superstring theory containing both open and closed strings ... free from anomalies and infinities (John H. Schwarz).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superstruct">
<B>superstruct, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to build upon something else; erect as a superstructure. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) Those ... on whose approbation his esteem of himself was superstructed (Samuel Johnson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superstructural">
<B>superstructural, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a superstructure. </DL>
<A NAME="superstructure">
<B>superstructure, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a structure built on something else as a foundation. <DD><B> 2. </B>all of a building above the foundation. <DD><B> 3. </B>the parts of a ship, especially a naval vessel, above the main deck. <BR> <I>Ex. The lifeboats, the great funnels, and the bulk of her superstructure are of aluminum (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the part of a bridge supported by the piers and abutments. <DD><B> 5. </B>the ties and rails of a railroad line, supported by ballast. </DL>
<A NAME="supersubmarine">
<B>supersubmarine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a large and powerful type of submarine. </DL>
<A NAME="supersubtle">
<B>supersubtle, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> extremely or excessively subtle. </DL>
<A NAME="supersubtlety">
<B>supersubtlety, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> excessive subtlety; overnicety of discrimination. </DL>
<A NAME="supersymmetry">
<B>supersymmetry, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) symmetry that relates the fermions and the bosons. <BR> <I>Ex. The symmetry operations of the hypothetical supersymmetry ... assert that the fermions and bosons ... can be regarded as manifestations of a single underlying state of matter (Scientific American).</I> adj. <B>supersymmetric.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="supersystem">
<B>supersystem, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a very large or extensive system. <BR> <I>Ex. a galactic supersystem. An example of the supersystem of the future is ... an ultrasophisticated computer communications system (M. W. Martin).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="supertanker">
<B>supertanker, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a huge tanker, ranging above 70,000 tons. <BR> <I>Ex. Existing supertankers sometimes must transfer their cargo to smaller tankers because harbor facilities are inadequate (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="supertask">
<B>supertask, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various logical paradoxes involving the challenge to complete an infinite sequence of tasks. </DL>
<A NAME="supertax">
<B>supertax, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a tax in addition to a normal tax; surtax. </DL>
<A NAME="superterranean">
<B>superterranean, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that is above the earth's surface; not subterranean. </DL>
<B>supertonic, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) the second tone or note of a scale; tone or note next above the tonic. </DL>
<A NAME="supertransuranic">
<B>supertransuranic, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> surpassing in mass the transuranic elements with atomic numbers higher than uranium; superheavy. <DD><I>noun </I> a supertransuranic element. </DL>
<A NAME="supervene">
<B>supervene, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-vened,</B> <B>-vening.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to come as something additional or interrupting; come directly or shortly after something else, either as a consequence of it or in contrast with it. <BR> <I>Ex. Those further away are likely to suffer from "radiation sickness," followed by changes in the blood; these changes may continue for up to a month, after which death may supervene (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="supervenience">
<B>supervenience, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the fact of being supervenient. <DD><B> 2. </B>the act of supervening. </DL>
<B>supervise, </B>transitive verb, <B>-vised,</B> <B>-vising.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to look after and direct (work, workers, or a process); oversee; manage; superintend. <BR> <I>Ex. Study halls are supervised by teachers.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="supervision">
<B>supervision, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or function of supervising or overseeing; management; direction; oversight. <BR> <I>Ex. The house was built under the careful supervision of an architect.</I> (SYN) superintendence. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) <DD><B> a. </B>the management and evaluation of instruction, especially in a public school or school system. <DD><B> b. </B>the authority for this. </DL>
<A NAME="supervisor">
<B>supervisor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who supervises. <BR> <I>Ex. The music supervisor had charge of the school band, chorus, and orchestra.</I> (SYN) administrator, director. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) an official whose duties are to supervise and assist the teachers of a particular subject, especially in a public school or school system. <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S.) (in certain states) an official who is the elected administrative head of a town or other division of a county and who is a member of the governing board of the county. </DL>
<A NAME="supervisorship">
<B>supervisorship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the position or authority of a supervisor. </DL>
<A NAME="supervisory">
<B>supervisory, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of a supervisor; having to do with supervision. <DD><B> 2. </B>supervising. </DL>
<A NAME="supervoltage">
<B>supervoltage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any very high voltage, especially radiation voltage ranging above 500,000 volts. <BR> <I>Ex. Only a few of the nation's largest hospitals have these big, supervoltage X-ray machines (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="superwater">
<B>superwater, =polywater.</B></DL>
<A NAME="superweapon">
<B>superweapon, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any military weapon greatly superior to other existing or conventional weapons. </DL>
