süˈpərfləwəs, səˈp-, -pə̄f-, -pəif- also -fləs or ÷-fələs adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin superfluus running over, superfluous, from superfluere to overflow, be in excess, from super- + fluere to flow — more at fluid
1.
a. : exceeding what is sufficient, necessary, normal, or desirable : superabundant , surplus , nonessential , supererogatory
eliminating superfluous words and replacing loose phrases with single words that express the thought — New York Times
armed ships allow nothing superfluous to litter up the deck — Herman Melville
silver plate … was the most suitable outlet for superfluous wealth … when modern facilities for investment did not exist — Edwin Benson
b. obsolete
(1) : unpleasantly excessive
(2) : abnormal
a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous — Lev 21:18 (Authorized Version)
(3) : inordinate
purchased at a superfluous rate — Shakespeare
c. : exceeding the octave compass in an ecclesiastical mode
2.
a. obsolete : wasteful , extravagant
b. : doing something unnecessary, irrelevant, or frivolous
so superfluous as to demand the time of day — Shakespeare
• su·per·flu·ous·ly adverb
• su·per·flu·ous·ness noun -es