The word über comes from the German language. During the late 1990's, über became a hip, trendy synonym for super; i.e. übercool - supercool. In fact, it is a cognate of both Latin super and Greek ύπερ (hyper), as well as English over (as in "overkill"). German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... Synonyms (in ancient Greek syn συν = plus and onoma όνομα = name) are different words with similar or identical meanings. ... Cognates are words that have a common origin. ...

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). Prefix has meanings in linguistics, mathematics and computer science, and telecommunications. ... In grammar, a preposition is a type of adposition, a grammatical particle that establishes a relationship between an object (usually a noun phrase) and some other part of the sentence, often expressing a location in place or time. ... An adverb is a part of speech that usually serves to modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, clauses, and sentences. ...

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). In Thus spake Zarathustra (in German, Also sprach Zarathustra), the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche explains the steps through which man can become an Übermensch: By his will to power, manifested destructively in the rejection of, and rebellion against, old ideals and moral codes; By his will to power, manifested creatively... Friedrich Nietzsche, 1882 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) was a highly influential German philosopher, philologist, and psychologist. ... In linguistics, a calque (pronounced [kælk]) or loan translation (itself a calque of German Lehnübersetzung) is a phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word translation. ...

Non-German Uses

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 real object to be considered uber, for example a player could use an "uber strategy". See also leet. An example of a Leet web browser (Text instead of GUI) in Leet language on a Leet language version of Google For information about leets as part of watermills, see Watermill. ...

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."