hyper- meaning: definition, etymology

hyper-

prefix

UK /ˈhaɪpə/ · US /ˈhaɪpəɹ/

Etymology From Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”), from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over, above”) (English over), from *upo (“under, below”) (whence English up). Doublet of over-, super-, sur-, and uber-.

8 senses

1over, above
2much, more than normal
3excessive
4intensely, extremely, exceptional
5big, huge, giant
6beyond
7existing in more than three spatial dimensions
8linked non-sequentially

› Forms augmentative forms of the root word.

Morpheme over, above

Morpheme much, more than normal

Morpheme excessive

hyper- → hyperactive

Morpheme intensely, extremely, exceptional

Morpheme big, huge, giant

› Used to create forms that are found beyond the root.

Morpheme beyond

hyper- → hypersonic

Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics, Sciences Morpheme existing in more than three spatial dimensions

hyper- → hyperspace

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Morpheme linked non-sequentially

hyper- → hypertext

Synonyms: on-, en-, epi-, super-, supra-, sur-, trans-, para-, ultra-, out-, extra-, preter-, over-, ana-, uber-, macro-, arch-, mega-, maxi-, giga-, -zilla, grand
Antonyms: hypo-, under-, sub-, infra-, dys-, mal-
Derived terms: hyper