supernumerary
/ˌsupɚˈn(j)uməˌɹɛɹi/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.15 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
6
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person who works in a group, association, or public office without forming part of the regular staff (the numerary).
noun
A married man or woman who is a secular member of Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic religious institution.
Example Sentences
- "The judge was a supernumerary, helping the regular judges whenever there was a surplus amount of work."
- "The Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Bombardiers, Fifers, Gunners, Private Men, and Boys of the Royal Marines belonging to Her Majesty's Ships or Vessels, whether entered on the Ship's Books as part of the complement, or borne as supernumeraries, except when borne for a passage for service on shore, shall be considered entitled to the same advantages as the rest of the Ship's Company."
- "What are the supernumeraries? upon whose report are they employed?— […] [I]f it is temporary employment, or for a temporary situation only, as occasion may require, such as the supernumeraries’ situations, for instance, these are looked upon as temporary appointments, although, from the great increase in our business, they have been in some respects permanent."
- "Hospital Staff.—To be Assistant Surgeons to the Forces. – Assistant Surgeons Angus John Mackay, Supernumerary in the 1st Foot; Albert Hawkins, Supernumerary in the 4th Foot; […]"
- "After this general training the apprentices are usually employed for a year or two as supernumeraries, being engaged to a large extent on special enquiries, a type of work well suited to rounding off their training and also to assisting both the company and the men to ascertain the type of work for which they are best suited."
- "[A] minor actor or supernumerary often has a better opportunity to watch great actors than the great actors themselves."
Etymology
From Late Latin supernumerarius (“extra soldier added to a legion; supernumerary”), from super (“above; beyond”) + numerus (“number; collection, quantity”) + -ārius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns or numerals). The word is analysable as super- + numeral + -ary.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌsupɚˈn(j)uməˌɹɛɹi/
- British English: /ˌsuːpəˈnjuːm(ə)ɹ(ə)ɹi/