superfluous

The story

1. Latin · derived fromsuperfluus“superfluous”
2. Middle English · inherited fromsuperfluous
3. English todaysuperfluous

From Middle English superfluous, from Latin superfluus (“superfluous”) + -ous, from superfluō (“overflow”), from super (“above, more than, over”) + fluō (“flow”). Compare mellifluous and fluid, also from Latin. Literally corresponds to overflow, which is from Germanic, rather than Latin.

Words from the same roots