View source for Über

{{short description|German word meaning "above"}}
{{About|the German word|the ridesharing service|Uber||Uber (disambiguation)}}
{{Italic title}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2017}}

{{Wiktionary|über|über-}}
'''''Über''''' ({{IPA|de|ˈyːbɐ|-|DE_uber.ogg}}, sometimes written '''''uber''''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|uː|b|ər}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/uber |title=Define Uber |publisher=Dictionary.com |access-date=2015-01-23 }}</ref> in English-language publications) is a [[German language]] word meaning "over", "above" or "across". It is an [[etymological twin]] with German ''ober'', and is a [[cognate]] (through [[Proto-Germanic]]) with English ''over'', Dutch ''over'', Swedish ''över'' and Icelandic ''yfir'', among other Germanic languages; it is a distant cognate to the [[Sanskrit]] word ''ūpari'' and [[Hindi]] ''ūpar'' (both meaning 'above', 'over' or 'up'), probably through [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]]. The word is relatively well known within [[Anglophone]] communities due to its occasional use as a hyphenated prefix in informal English, usually for emphasis. The German word is properly spelled with an [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]], while the spelling of the English [[loanword]] varies.

==In German==
In German, ''über'' is a preposition, as well as being used as a [[Prefix (linguistics)|prefix]]. Both uses indicate a state or action involving increased elevation or quantity in the physical sense, or superiority or excess in the abstract.

:elevation: ''"überdacht"'' - roof-covered, roofed, [also: reconsidered, thought over] (''überdacht'' (from ''Dach'' (roof)) means roof-covered, roofed while ''überdacht'' (from the [[Germanic strong verb|strong verb]] ''denken''-[''dachte'', ''gedacht''] (''think'', ''thought'', ''thought'') means reconsidered, thought over)
:quantity: ''"über 100 Meter"'' - more than 100 meters, ''"Überschall"'' - supersonic
:superiority: ''"überlegen"'' - (adj) superior, elite, predominant. (verb) to think something over
:excess: ''"übertreiben"'' - to exaggerate, ''"überfüllt"'' - overcrowded)

As a [[preposition]], ''über''{{'}}s meaning depends on its context. For example, ''über etwas sprechen''&nbsp;– to speak about something, ''über die Brücke''&nbsp;– across the bridge.

''Über'' also translates to ''over'', ''above'', ''[[Meta (prefix)|meta]]'', but mainly in [[compound word]]s. The actual translation depends on context. One example would be [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche's]] term ''[[Übermensch]]'', discussed below; another example is the [[Deutschlandlied]], which begins with the well-known words "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" meaning "Germany, Germany above everything" (this stanza is not sung anymore, because it is mistaken as meaning "Germany above the rest of the world"; its original meaning was the German nation above its constituent states [Prussia, Hanover, Württemberg etc.]).

The German word ''unter'', meaning ''beneath'' or ''under'', is [[Opposite (semantics)|antonymous]] to ''über''. ''Unter'' can be found in words such as [[Rapid transit in Germany#U-Bahn|U-Bahn]] (''Untergrundbahn''&nbsp;– underground (rail-)way), [[U-boat|U-Boot]] (''Unterseeboot''&nbsp;– submarine, lit. "under sea boat"), as well as [[toponym]]s, such as [[Unter den Linden]] ("Below the linden trees").

Grammatically, ''über'' belongs to that set of German prepositions that can govern either the [[Accusative case#German|accusative case]] or the [[Dative case#German|dative case]] ("''an, auf, hinter, in, neben, '''über''', unter, vor, zwischen''"). The choice is determined by whether the prepositional phrase indicates movement (accusative) or an unmoving state (dative).

==In English==

===Origins===
The crossover of the term "über" from German into English goes back to the work of [[Germany|German]] [[philosopher]] [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]. In 1883, Nietzsche coined the term "[[Übermensch]]" to describe the higher state to which he felt men might aspire. The term was [[calque|brought into English]] by [[George Bernard Shaw]] in the title to his 1903 play ''[[Man and Superman]]''. During his rise to power, [[Adolf Hitler]] adopted Nietzsche's term, using it in his descriptions of an Aryan [[master race]]. It was in this context that [[United States|American]] [[Jew]]ish [[comic book]] creator [[Jerry Siegel]] encountered the term and conceived the 1933 story "[[The Reign of the Superman]]", in which the mentally advanced superman (not to be confused with his later superhero character) is a villain.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} Shortly afterward, Siegel and artist [[Joseph Shuster]] recast [[Superman]] into the iconic American hero he subsequently became. It is through this association with the superhero that the term "über" carries much of its English sense implying irresistibility or invincibility.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/superman | title=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition: "Superman" definition, "Word History" entry | publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company | year=2010 | access-date=Mar 14, 2011}}</ref>

===Differences from the German===

====Spelling====
The normal [[transliteration]] of the “[[ü]]” (‘[[u]]’ with an [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]]) when used in writing systems without [[diacritic]]s (such as airport arrival boards, older computer systems, etc.) is “ue”, not just “u”.

====Meaning====
Because of different usage, the [[English language]] version of the word is distinct from “über”. It is not possible to translate every English "uber" back into "über": for example, "uber-left" could not be translated into "Überlinks": a [[Geographical distribution of German speakers|Germanophone]] would say “linksaußen” (literally “outer left”, meaning a left-winger in either sports or politics).

==See also==
* [[Metal umlaut]]
* [[Uberfic]]

==References==
<references />

==Further reading==
*Clausing, Stephen. ''English Influence of American German and American Icelandic''. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 1986.
*Stanforth, Anthony W. ''Deutsche Einflüsse auf den englischen Wortschatz in Geschichte und Gegenwart''. Tübingen: Niemeyer, 1996.
*Hock, Hans Heinrich, and Brian D. Joseph. ''Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship: An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics''. New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 1996.
*Burridge, Kate. ''Blooming English: Observations on the Roots, Cultivation and Hybrids in the English Language''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
*Burridge, Kate. ''Weeds in the Garden of Words: Further Observations on the Tangled History of the English Language''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004, 2005.
*Savan, Leslie. ''Slam dunks and No-Brainers: Language in your Life, Media, Business, Politics, and, like, Whatever''. New York: Knopf, 2005.

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[[Category:English-language slang]]