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sur·pass

(sər-păs)

tr.v. sur·passed, sur·pass·ing, sur·pass·es

1. To do more than or be superior to: surpassed her classmates in academic honors. See Synonyms at excel.

2. To be beyond the limit, powers, or capacity of; transcend: misery that surpasses comprehension.

3. To be greater than, as in degree or quality; exceed: The cost of the project surpassed its budget projections.

Idiom:

surpass oneself

To do the best that one ever has done at a given activity.

[French surpasser, from Old French, to transgress : sur-, sur- + passer, pass; see PASS.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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