Über

From Freepedia

The word über comes from the German language. It is a cognate of both Latin super and Greek ύπερ (hyper), as well as English over (as in "overkill"). During the late 1990's, über also became a synonym for super; i.e. übercool - supercool - generally with a slightly intensified meaning. Über is commonly misspelled as uber in English, although the correct substitute for the 'ü'-Umlaut would be ue, not just 'u'.

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Uses in German

In German, über is used as a prefix as well as a separate word. In the latter case, it may be a preposition or an adverb depending on context. Eg. sprechen über - speak about, über die Brücke - over the bridge, übernehmen - take over (nehmen = take).

Über also translates to over, above and superior. The actual translation depends on context. One example would be the term Übermensch from Friedrich Nietzsche, which translates to superior human or superman (literally "overman"). It is assumed that it is via this translation that the word über entered the English vocabulary (cf. calque).

Non-German Uses

Fan Fiction

In the Xena: Warrior Princess fan fiction community, "Uberfic" was coined to describe alternative universe fics that use the same basic character archetypes from the show and transplant them to another setting. A popular example are the characters Dar and Kerry that were first seen in the book Tropical Storm. The term has also started to see use in other fandoms.

Online Gaming

"Uber" (also "über" or "00ber") is an online gaming term for a player or object that is considered superior. For example, a player who has accumulated the most points or rare and advanced weapons, tools, clothing, or spells available in the online game could be referred to as uber. Rare or powerful items themselves are also frequently called uber. Something does not even have to be a tangible object to be considered uber, for example a player could use an "uber strategy". The word became mainstream and popularized due to the constant usage in EverQuest, a MMORPG. See also leet.

Slang

"Uber" easily replaces "super" to spice up boring adjectives. Try "uber" in front any adjective. Instead of "superduper" try "uberduper." Other uses: "uberbaby," "ubercool," "uberstupid", or "ubermicro".



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