# supernumerary

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌsuːpəˈnjuːm(ə)ɹ(ə)ɹi/ · frequency rank #80,019

## Definitions
1. A person who works in a group, association, or public office without forming part of the regular staff (the numerary).
2. An extra or walk-on, often non-speaking, in a film or play; a spear carrier.
3. Something which is beyond the prescribed or standard amount or number.
4. An animal which has not formed a pair bond and is therefore single.
5. A married man or woman who is a secular member of Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic religious institution.

## Etymology
From Late Latin supernumerarius (“extra soldier added to a legion; supernumerary”), from super (“above; beyond”) + numerus (“number; collection, quantity”) + -ārius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns or numerals). The word is analysable as super- + numeral + -ary.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/supernumerary