superintend

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˌsupɚɪnˈtɛnd/ UK /ˌsuːpərɪnˈtɛnd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to oversee and direct the operation of something

She was hired to superintend the factory floor.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to oversee and direct the... oversee supervise manage direct administer control

Opposites

neglect follow

Word family

Forms superintendence

Derived forms superintendentsuperintendencesuperintending

Related forms intend superintendent

Etymology

From Late Latin superintendere ('to oversee'), from Latin super- ('over') + intendere ('to direct, stretch toward'), from in- ('toward') + tendere ('to stretch').

superintendere Latin tendere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# superintend

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˌsupɚɪnˈtɛnd/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌsuːpərɪnˈtɛnd/

## Meanings
1. to oversee and direct the operation of something

## Examples
- She was hired to superintend the factory floor.

## Synonyms
- oversee
- supervise
- manage
- direct
- administer
- control

## Antonyms
- neglect
- follow

## Derived Forms
- superintendent
- superintendence
- superintending

## Related Forms
- intend
- superintendent

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: superintendere
- Root: tendere

## Etymology
From Late Latin superintendere ('to oversee'), from Latin super- ('over') + intendere ('to direct, stretch toward'), from in- ('toward') + tendere ('to stretch').

## AI Etymology
Superintend comes from Late Latin superintendere ('to oversee'), from Latin super- ('over') + intendere ('to direct, stretch toward'), from in- ('toward') + tendere ('to stretch'). The historical chain includes Latin superintendere and Latin tendere. The quoted older senses, "to oversee", "over", "to direct, stretch toward", "toward", and "to stretch", supply the semantic anchors for superintend. The formation is best read as compound and borrowed: the word superintend carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a verb, "to oversee and direct the operation of something". English derivatives include superintendent, superintendence, and superintending; related English forms include intend and superintendent. The result is a verb whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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