SUPERNUMERARY

excess, extra, redundant, spare, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus

(adjective) more than is needed, desired, or required; “trying to lose excess weight”; “found some extra change lying on the dresser”; “yet another book on heraldry might be thought redundant”; “skills made redundant by technological advance”; “sleeping in the spare room”; “supernumerary ornamentation”; “it was supererogatory of her to gloat”; “delete superfluous (or unnecessary) words”; “extra ribs as well as other supernumerary internal parts”; “surplus cheese distributed to the needy”

supernumerary, spear carrier, extra

(noun) a minor actor in crowd scenes

supernumerary

(noun) a person serving no apparent function; “reducing staff is difficult because our employees include no supernumeraries”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

supernumerary (plural supernumeraries)

A person who works in a group, association, or public office without forming part of the regular staff (the numerary). [from early 17th c.]

(film, theater) An extra or walk-on, often non-speaking, in a film or play; a spear carrier.

Synonyms: supe, super

Something which is beyond the prescribed or standard amount or number.

(zoology) An animal which has not formed a pair bond and is therefore single.

(Roman Catholicism) A married man or woman who is a secular member of Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic religious institution.

Adjective

supernumerary (not comparable)

Greater in number than.

Beyond the prescribed or standard amount or number; excess, extra.

Synonym: epactal

(biology, specifically) Of an organ or structure: additional to what is normally present.

Synonym: supranumerary

Beyond what is necessary; redundant.

Synonyms: superfluous, unnecessary, unneeded, unwanted

Notes

Source: Wiktionary

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Su`per*nu"mer*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. supernumerarius: cf. OF. supernuméraire, F. surnuméraire. See Super-, and Numerary, Number.]

1. Exceeding the number stated or prescribed; as, a supernumerary officer in a regiment.

2. Exceeding a necessary, usual, or required number or quality; superfluous; as, supernumerary addresses; supernumerary expense. Addison.

Su`per*nu"mer*a*ry, n.; pl. Supernumeraries (.

1. A person or thing beyond the number stated.

2. A person or thing beyond what is necessary or usual; especially, a person employed not for regular service, but only to fill the place of another in case of need; specifically, in theaters, a person who is not a regular actor, but is employed to appear in a stage spectacle.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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