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Supernumerary vs Surplus - What's the difference?

supernumerary | surplus |

As nouns the difference between supernumerary and surplus

is that supernumerary is a civil designation for somebody who works in a group, association or public office, without forming part of the regular staff; those distinguished from numerary (for example, supernumerary judges are those who help the regular judges when there is a surplus amount of work) while surplus is that which remains when use or need is satisfied, or when a limit is reached; excess; overplus.

As adjectives the difference between supernumerary and surplus

is that supernumerary is extra; beyond the standard or prescribed amount or number while surplus is being or constituting a surplus; more than sufficient; as, surplus revenues; surplus population; surplus words.

supernumerary

English

Noun

(supernumeraries)
  • A civil designation for somebody who works in a group, association or public office, without forming part of the regular staff; those distinguished from numerary. (For example, supernumerary judges are those who help the regular judges when there is a surplus amount of work.)
  • An extra or walk-on in a film or play; spear-carrier.
  • * 1992', Sarah Anne Sloane, '''''Supernumeraries at bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) nests (page 50)

    • Adjective

    (-)
  • Extra; beyond the standard or prescribed amount or number.
  • * 1948': Aldous Huxley, ''Ape and Essence'', page 74: '''1949''' “Chatto & Windus” edition]; [http://books.google.co.uk/books?lr=&ei=-kZSSb6rBIjcygTtre2LAg&id=mYorAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Ape+and+Essence%22+supernumerary&q=supernumerary&pgis=1#search_anchor ' 1972 “Harper & Row” edition
    • Over close-ups of little faces with hare lips, little trunks with stumps instead of legs and arms, little hands with clusters of supernumerary fingers, little bodies adorned with a double row of nipples, we hear the voice of the Narrator.
  • Greater in number than.
  • Beyond what is necessary.

    • Quotations

    * (English Citations of "supernumerary")

    External links

    * * *

    surplus

    English

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • That which remains when use or need is satisfied, or when a limit is reached; excess; overplus.
  • Specifically, an amount in the public treasury at any time greater than is required for the ordinary purposes of the government.
  • (legal) The remainder of a fund appropriated for a particular purpose.
  • (legal) assets left after liabilities and debts, including capital stock have been deducted.

    • Antonyms

    * lack * deficit

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Being or constituting a surplus; more than sufficient; as, surplus revenues; surplus population; surplus words.
  • * {{quote-magazine, title=A better waterworks, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838
    • , page=5 (Technology Quarterly), magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.}}