Word of the Day

: April 10, 2009

superjacent

adjective soo-per-JAY-sunt

What It Means

: lying above or upon : overlying

superjacent in Context

"Foreign states enjoy the right of overflight in the airspace superjacent to a coastal state's 200-mile exclusive economic zone . . .” (James C. Hsiung, The New York Times, April 14, 2001)

Did You Know?

You're probably familiar with "adjacent," and if you guessed that it's a relative of "superjacent," you're right. Both derive from the Latin verb "jacere," meaning "to lie." "Adjacent," which is both the more popular and the earlier word (it first appeared in print in the 15th century, while "superjacent" turned up in 1610), comes from "jacere" and the prefix "ad-," meaning "near." "Superjacent," on the other hand, was formed by combining "jacere" with the prefix "super-," meaning "over," "above," or "on top of." In case you were wondering, "jacere" descendants are also available for other possible configurations-"subjacent" means "lying below," and "circumjacent" means "lying near on all sides" or "surrounding."