Word of the Day

: July 17, 2008

superannuated

adjective soo-per-AN-yuh-way-tud

What It Means

1 : outmoded, old-fashioned

2 a : incapacitated or disqualified for active duty by advanced age

b : older than the typical member of a specified group

superannuated in Context

The article focused on senior citizens who retired from the workplace and returned to school to become superannuated graduate students.

Did You Know?

"Superannuated" was first put to use in English in the 1600s, having been borrowed from Medieval Latin "superannuatus," the past participle of "superannuari" ("to be too old") -- from Latin "super-" ("over" or "above") and "annus" ("year"). Shortly thereafter, we made our own verb, "superannuate," from the adjective. "Superannuate" meant "to retire and pension because of age or infirmity" as well as "to declare obsolete," meanings that are still in active service. "Superannuated" can mean "outmoded or old-fashioned," as in "superannuated slang" or "superannuated neckties," or it can simply mean "older than usual," as in our example sentence.