• superfluous • Pronunciation: su-pêr-flu-ês • Hear it! Part of
Speech: Adjective Meaning: Excessive, more than is necessary,
extra and unnecessary. Notes: You may use today's word
adverbially if you cap it off with the usual suffix, -ly:
superfluously. The long noun, superfluousness, is more awkward
than the older, more compact superfluity [sup-êr-flu-i-ti]. The
latter noun also exhibits a more graceful plural form:
superfluities. In Play: We are entering a season in which
superfluity is acceptable. We tend to become excessive with
food, presents, and generosity: "I love the Christmas
decorations on your house, but I think the lights on everybody's
clothes are a bit superfluous." It is a word you can use
anywhere anytime: "No, your father and I think that hiring a
maid would be superfluous so long as you and your brother are
capable of movement." Word History: Today's Good Word comes from
Latin superfluus "overflowing", the adjective from superfluere
"to overflow", composed of super "over" + fluere "to flow"