superman

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a man imagined to possess extraordinary or superhuman powers and abilities

   The speculative essay asked whether genetic engineering might someday produce a superman.

2. 2
   noun

   in philosophy, an imagined superior type of human who transcends ordinary values and limitations; an overman

   The translator rendered Nietzsche's Ubermensch as superman, although many scholars now prefer overman.

A transparent compound of super- ("above, beyond") + man. Its philosophical sense developed as an English rendering of German Ubermensch, especially through translations of Nietzsche. The broader sense of an extraordinarily powerful man was later reinforced by popular fiction.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images