Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To do more than is required, ordered, or expected.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To do more than duty requires; make up for some deficiency by extraordinary exertion.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To do more than duty requires; to perform works of supererogation; to atone (for a dificiency in another) by means of a surplus action or quality.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To engage in
supererogation .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Moses, Elias, Daniel, Christ, and his [6455] apostles made use of it; but when by this means they will supererogate, and as [6456] Erasmus well taxeth, Coelum non sufficere putant suis meritis.
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I often observe in commutative; and keep a geometrical proportion in both, whereby becoming equable to others, I become unjust to myself, and supererogate in that common principle, “Do unto others as thou wouldst be done unto thyself.”
Religio Medici 2007
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Papists hold, or have any perfection in this life, much less supererogate: when we have all done, we are unprofitable servants.
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Nevertheless, it is veriform, that because Mammona doth not supergurgitate anything in my loculs, that I am somewhat rare and lent to supererogate the elemosynes to those egents that hostially queritate their stipe.
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002
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Nevertheless, it is veriform, that because Mammona doth not supergurgitate anything in my loculs, that I am somewhat rare and lent to supererogate the elemosynes to those egents that hostially queritate their stipe.
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel 2002
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We do, then, plainly supererogate as to the cause in hand, by the confutation of the answers which Mr Goodwin farther attempts to remove, and his endeavour therein; which yet shall not be declined.
The Doctrine of the Saints��� Perseverance Explained and Confirmed 1616-1683 1966
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The method I should use in distributive Justice, [174] I often observe in commutative; [175] and keep a Geometrical proportion in both, whereby becoming equable to others, I become unjust to my self, and supererogate
Religio Medici 1605-1682 1923
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They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate and to do more than God requires, as [1493] that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.
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Make not one in the Historia horribilis; [158] stay not thy servant for a broken glass, [159] nor pound him in a mortar who offendeth thee; [160] supererogate not in the worst sense, and overdo not the necessities of evil; humour not the injustice of revenge.
Christian Morals 1605-1682 1863
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But for all that, Horse Shoe, he wa'n't going to supererogate me, without getting as good as he sent.
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