/ ˌsuːpərˈɔːdɪnət; ˌsjuː-; NAmE -ˈɔːrd-/ (also hyper·nym ) noun
( linguistics ) a word with a general meaning that includes the meanings of other particular words, for example 'fruit' is the superordinate of 'apple', 'orange', etc.
—compare hyponym
► super·ordin·ate adjective
—compare subordinate
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from super- above , on the pattern of subordinate .