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What does the word supernatural mean to you?

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iamnotaparakeet
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07 Sep 2010, 8:18 am

Sand wrote:
Getting back to the original post, the prefix "super" is emphatic, so someone super smart is very smart and super clean is very clean. So supernatural should mean very natural. Ghosts and gods and such should be subnatural or perhaps unnatural since they don't exist in nature.
But if they do, then, of course, they are natural.


In English, "super" may be used in the superlative sense which you affix to it. However, in Latin the preposition "super" means above and "sub" means below.

Consider the combinatorial words, "supersonic" and "subsonic". in relation to this.



Sand
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07 Sep 2010, 8:31 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
Getting back to the original post, the prefix "super" is emphatic, so someone super smart is very smart and super clean is very clean. So supernatural should mean very natural. Ghosts and gods and such should be subnatural or perhaps unnatural since they don't exist in nature.
But if they do, then, of course, they are natural.


In English, "super" may be used in the superlative sense which you affix to it. However, in Latin the preposition "super" means above and "sub" means below.

Consider the combinatorial words, "supersonic" and "subsonic". in relation to this.


Very well then, in what direction is "above" in regard to nature? What kind of directions does nature have? Where is "left" or "right" in regard to nature? Things can be not natural (unnatural), but there are no vectors to nature. Sonic is a velocity description and has magnitude. What kind of magnitude does nature have?



iamnotaparakeet
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07 Sep 2010, 8:49 am

Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
Getting back to the original post, the prefix "super" is emphatic, so someone super smart is very smart and super clean is very clean. So supernatural should mean very natural. Ghosts and gods and such should be subnatural or perhaps unnatural since they don't exist in nature.
But if they do, then, of course, they are natural.


In English, "super" may be used in the superlative sense which you affix to it. However, in Latin the preposition "super" means above and "sub" means below.

Consider the combinatorial words, "supersonic" and "subsonic". in relation to this.


Very well then, in what direction is "above" in regard to nature? What kind of directions does nature have? Where is "left" or "right" in regard to nature? Things can be not natural (unnatural), but there are no vectors to nature. Sonic is a velocity description and has magnitude. What kind of magnitude does nature have?


What direction? You don't get the construction of language in general or are you just playing around?

Something that could be said to be sub-natural would be in a subset within the set of 'nature'. However, that which we know as nature would be a subset as well. Anything existent but not contained within the subset of nature would be 'super-natural'.

Objects traveling slower than the speed of light would be traveling at sub-luminal velocities. If it were possible to travel at the speed of light, such would be a luminal velocity. If it were possible to travel faster than the speed of light, such velocities would be super-luminal. Currently, luminal and superluminal velocities would, seemingly, be impossible. For something to travel as fast or faster than the speed of light would, to us currently, seem to also be "supernatural" although in a slightly different sense.



Last edited by iamnotaparakeet on 07 Sep 2010, 8:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sand
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07 Sep 2010, 8:55 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
Getting back to the original post, the prefix "super" is emphatic, so someone super smart is very smart and super clean is very clean. So supernatural should mean very natural. Ghosts and gods and such should be subnatural or perhaps unnatural since they don't exist in nature.
But if they do, then, of course, they are natural.


In English, "super" may be used in the superlative sense which you affix to it. However, in Latin the preposition "super" means above and "sub" means below.

Consider the combinatorial words, "supersonic" and "subsonic". in relation to this.


Very well then, in what direction is "above" in regard to nature? What kind of directions does nature have? Where is "left" or "right" in regard to nature? Things can be not natural (unnatural), but there are no vectors to nature. Sonic is a velocity description and has magnitude. What kind of magnitude does nature have?


What direction? You don't get the construction of language in general or are you just playing around?

I see. So the word supercilious which refers to a raised eyebrow indicates an eyebrow not belonging to normal eyebrow sets.

Something that could be said to be sub-natural would be in a subset within the set of 'nature'. However, that which we know as nature would be a subset as well. Anything existent but not contained within the subset of nature would be 'super-natural'.



iamnotaparakeet
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07 Sep 2010, 9:00 am

Sand wrote:
I see. So the word supercilious which refers to a raised eyebrow indicates an eyebrow not belonging to normal eyebrow sets.


No, in that case it refers to an arrogant person raising an eyebrow above the other eyebrow's level in order to indicate their own contemptuousness.



iamnotaparakeet
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07 Sep 2010, 9:03 am

Sand, since you seem to prefer to listen to argumentum ad vericundium far more than any sense of reasoning, perhaps a quote from a dictionary might help you understand?

Quote:
supernatural (adj.)

mid-15c. (implied in supernaturally), "above nature, transcending nature, belonging to a higher realm," from M.L. supernaturalis "above or beyond nature," from L. super "above" (see super-) + natura "nature" (see nature). Originally with more of a religious sense; association with ghosts, etc., has predominated since c.1799. The noun is attested from 1580s.


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=supernatural



Sand
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07 Sep 2010, 9:15 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
I see. So the word supercilious which refers to a raised eyebrow indicates an eyebrow not belonging to normal eyebrow sets.


No, in that case it refers to an arrogant person raising an eyebrow above the other eyebrow's level in order to indicate their own contemptuousness.


Which, of course, is based on the direction of the eyebrow.



iamnotaparakeet
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07 Sep 2010, 9:33 am

Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
I see. So the word supercilious which refers to a raised eyebrow indicates an eyebrow not belonging to normal eyebrow sets.


No, in that case it refers to an arrogant person raising an eyebrow above the other eyebrow's level in order to indicate their own contemptuousness.


Which, of course, is based on the direction of the eyebrow.


So, in taxonomy, how does a superfamily compare to a family?



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07 Sep 2010, 10:45 am

Superfamily
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term superfamily is used to describe several different concepts in different scientific fields:

* Taxonomic rank: Superfamily is a level of biological classification
* Protein classification rank: Most notably the Ras superfamily
* Superfamily (linguistics): in comparative linguistics, another term for "macrofamily"
* Superfamily (molecular biology): in molecular biology, a large group of related proteins or other molecules.
* Superfamily (band): a Norwegian pop band
* SUPERFAMILY: database of annotation for all proteins

Take your pick. I'm rather fond of the Norwegian band which may have a new direction.



naturalplastic
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07 Sep 2010, 11:46 am

Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
Getting back to the original post, the prefix "super" is emphatic, so someone super smart is very smart and super clean is very clean. So supernatural should mean very natural. Ghosts and gods and such should be subnatural or perhaps unnatural since they don't exist in nature.
But if they do, then, of course, they are natural.


In English, "super" may be used in the superlative sense which you affix to it. However, in Latin the preposition "super" means above and "sub" means below.

Consider the combinatorial words, "supersonic" and "subsonic". in relation to this.


Very well then, in what direction is "above" in regard to nature? What kind of directions does nature have? Where is "left" or "right" in regard to nature? Things can be not natural (unnatural), but there are no vectors to nature. Sonic is a velocity description and has magnitude. What kind of magnitude does nature have?


Since you're so into playing word games consider the prefix "extra". It has the exact same double meaning as "super".

All of us operate under the misconception that "EXTRA marital sex" is adultery, and that "EXTRA terrestrials" are little green men from Arcturus.

But know I know better.

"Extramarital" sex actually means that you get even more nookie from your spouse than normal ( or does it mean that your a polygamist?- or does it mean that your somehow 'more married' than the average married person- or what?)

And "extraterrestrials" are just folks who are even more down-to-earth than the average earth person- ( ie they have an extra dose of 'earthiness') !

Im sure glad you set me straight!

Lol!



KaiG
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07 Sep 2010, 1:09 pm

Sand, I don't understand why you're continuing to argue what is obviously a fallacious point.


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iamnotaparakeet
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07 Sep 2010, 2:56 pm

KaiG wrote:
Sand, I don't understand why you're continuing to argue what is obviously a fallacious point.


Because he knows, in his heart of hearts, that he must be right.



naturalplastic
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07 Sep 2010, 6:04 pm

First- lets define what 'natural' means!



Sand
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07 Sep 2010, 6:30 pm

KaiG wrote:
Sand, I don't understand why you're continuing to argue what is obviously a fallacious point.


Some mysteries are great fun.



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07 Sep 2010, 6:30 pm

Sand wrote:
When a pretty girl takes off her clothes, that's natural. When a beautiful woman discards her clothing that's super natural.

That would make her super cool :P

Sand, keet is right, Supernatural means beyond the natural world.



Supernatural in other languages, according to google translator:
German - übernatürlich (über = over)
French - surnaturel (sur = over)
Spanish - sobrenatural (sobre = above)
Italian - soprannaturale (sopra = over)
Portuguese - sobrenatural, supernatural (sobre = above, over)


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Last edited by greenblue on 07 Sep 2010, 6:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Sand
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07 Sep 2010, 6:34 pm

greenblue wrote:
Sand wrote:
When a pretty girl takes off her clothes, that's natural. When a beautiful woman discards her clothing that's super natural.

That would make her super cool :P

Sand, keet is right, Supernatural means beyond the natural world.

Supernatural in other languages:
German - übernatürlich
French - surnaturel
Spanish - sobrenatural
Italian - soprannaturale
Portuguese - sobrenatural, supernatural


But where beyond? Above, below or to one side?