ex-sŭpĕro (exup-), āvi, ātum (gen. plur. part. sync. exsuperantum, Varr. L. L. 7, § 18 Müll.), 1, v. n. and a. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose).
I Neutr. , to mount up , appear above (very rare).
A Lit.: exsuperant flammae; furit aestus ad auras, Verg. A. 2, 759.—
B Trop., to get the upper hand , to overcome , prevail , excel : sol et vapor omnis, Lucr. 5, 385: arma capessant, Et si non poterunt exsuperare, cadant, Ov. F. 6, 372: praesens dolor, Lucr. 6, 1277: quantum ipse feroci Virtute exsuperas, Verg. A. 12, 20: Hannibal exsuperans astu, Sil. 1, 57.—
II Act. , to project or tower above any thing, to surmount , rise above , exceed.
A Lit.: vites exsuperant ulmos, Plin. 14, 1, 3, § 12: exsuperat jugum, passes over , Verg. A. 11, 905: clivum, Sen. Ep. 31: amnem, Plin. 6, 17, 21, § 62: Nilus exsuperavit sedecim cubita, id. 18, 18, 47, § 168; cf.: binas libras ponderis, id. 9, 17, 30, § 64.—
B Trop.
1 To surpass , exceed : quis homo te exsuperavit usquam gentium impudentiā? Poët. ap. Cic. Tusc. 4, 36, 77: omnes Tarquinios superbiā, Liv. 3, 11, 13: genus morum nobilitate, Ov. Tr. 4, 4, 2: aliquid latitudine, Plin. 2, 11, 8, § 50: laudes alicujus, Liv. 28, 43, 7: cuncta exsuperans patrimonia census, Juv. 10, 13: tu vero, pater, vive et me quoque exsupera, survive , outlive , Val. Max. 5, 9 fin. : aestatem, to outlast , Plin. 14, 2, 4, § 33.—
2 To be too much for , to overpower , overcome : id summum exsuperat Jovem, Poët. in Cic. Div. 2, 10, 25: materia vires exsuperante meas, Ov. Tr. 1, 5, 56: caecum consilium, Verg. A. 7, 591: multitudo Gallorum, sensum omnem talis damni exsuperans, Liv. 7, 24, 2.
IX —Hence, exsŭpĕrans ( exup- ), antis, P. a. (acc. to I. B.), surpassing , excellent , supreme (post-class.): mulier exsuperanti forma, Gell. 6, 8, 3.— Comp. : uter esset exsuperantior, certabatur, Gell. 14, 3, 11.— Sup. , Ap. Dogm. Plat. 1, p. 8.