Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of one who supererogates; performance of more than duty requires.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act of supererogating; performance of more than duty or necessity requires.
- noun (R. C. Ch.) those good deeds believed to have been performed by saints, or capable of being performed by men, over and above what is required for their own salvation.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun religion Doing more than is
required .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an effort above and beyond the call of duty
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word supererogation.
Examples
-
But this double role of normative discourse inevitably raises the idea of supererogation, the category of actions that are praiseworthy (either in creating good states of affairs or in reflecting a particularly virtuous trait of character) yet at the same time not obligatory.
-
Unlike the concepts of justice and duty, which have deep roots in both ordinary language and everyday moral judgment, the idea of supererogation is only tenuously anchored in common moral discourse and the concept itself is a theoretical construct.
-
I mean a month at least, taking the bark even to supererogation, that is, some time longer than Dr. Middleton requires; for, I presume, you are got over your childishness about tastes, and are sensible that your health deserves more attention than your palate.
Letters to his son on The Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman 2005
-
Europe: I mean a month at least, taking the bark even to supererogation, that is, some time longer than Dr. Middleton requires; for, I presume, you are got over your childishness about tastes, and are sensible that your health deserves more attention than your palate.
Complete Project Gutenberg Earl of Chesterfield Works Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield 1733
-
It would be "supererogation" to go into our early legislation, which is familiar to the colony in a hundred publications, besides the fact that
Personal Recollections of Early Melbourne and Victoria William Westgarth 1852
-
I am going to go out on a limb and say that that "supererogation" is yet another one of these instances. on 01 May 2009 at 11: 40 pm + Alan
internetmonk.com 2009
-
I am going to go out on a limb and say that that "supererogation" is yet another one of these instances. on 01 May 2009 at 11: 40 pm + Alan
internetmonk.com 2009
-
Giving a gift to a powerful person can be seen as an act of supererogation.
MJR Montoya: On the Politics of Giving and Receiving -- Obama and the Peace Prize 2009
-
A gift is often an act of supererogation, something that is morally good to do, but not required.
MJR Montoya: On the Politics of Giving and Receiving -- Obama and the Peace Prize 2009
-
Giving a gift to a powerful person can be seen as an act of supererogation.
MJR Montoya: On the Politics of Giving and Receiving -- Obama and the Peace Prize 2009
kewpid commented on the word supererogation
actions believed to form a reserve fund of merit that can be drawn on by prayer in favour of sinners.
November 2, 2007
skipvia commented on the word supererogation
I'm surprised they didn't figure out a way to charge for that. Think indulgences.
November 2, 2007
isnotnull commented on the word supererogation
supererogation
noun
the performance of more work than duty requires
Example: To maximize profits is for management not an optimal exercise or a work of supererogation.
Origin
early 16th century: from late Latin supererogatio(n-), from supererogare pay in addition, from super- over + erogare pay out
November 25, 2023