entry
supercharger
/ˈsuːpərˌtʃɑrdʒər/Engine-driven compressor forcing extra air into cylinders
From Latin super (above) + Norman French charger (one who loads).
Word Ancestry
Latin super meant “above” or “beyond,” a small linguistic elevator that eventually found its way into everything from supernumerary to the 1966 Super Bowl. Charger began more literally: Norman French chargeoir referred to a place where goods were loaded, before English turned the word into an agent—someone or something that loads. By 1711, a charger could be an appliance for supplying a charge, first notably in firearms; by 1901, it was giving electricity to batteries. Put the two pieces together and the name sounds almost boastful: a device that “charges beyond,” pushing more air into an engine than ordinary atmospheric pressure can provide. There is a historical wrinkle under the hood: until roughly the mid-20th century, even exhaust-driven turbochargers could be called turbosuperchargers, so “supercharger” once covered a wider mechanical family than it usually does today. Remember it as a linguistic engine: super raises the ambition, while charger does the loading.
The Story
Latin super meant “above” or “beyond,” a small linguistic elevator that eventually found its way into everything from supernumerary to the 1966 Super Bowl. Charger began more literally: Norman French chargeoir referred to a place where goods were loaded, before English turned the word into an agent—someone or something that loads. By 1711, a charger could be an appliance for supplying a charge, first notably in firearms; by 1901, it was giving electricity to batteries. Put the two pieces together and the name sounds almost boastful: a device that “charges beyond,” pushing more air into an engine than ordinary atmospheric pressure can provide. There is a historical wrinkle under the hood: until roughly the mid-20th century, even exhaust-driven turbochargers could be called turbosuperchargers, so “supercharger” once covered a wider mechanical family than it usually does today. Remember it as a linguistic engine: super raises the ambition, while charger does the loading.
Modern Usage
A drinking combination of two Jägermeister shots followed by a quickly consumed Miller beer
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry describing the drinking sense
Kin & Kindred
From 'super'·above, over, beyond
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'charger'·one who loads; later, a charging device
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia