What is the difference Superior and inferior?

[marceltr]

I can't explain to my students what is the difference between superior and inferior? In anatomical terminology superior (from Latin, meaning 'above') is used to refer to what is above something, and inferior (from Latin, meaning 'below') to what is below it. But I need a huge definition. Thank you for advice.

[Terrapin Station]

Don't you have access to general dictionaries?

Some definitions of "superior":
"of higher rank, quality, or importance"
"excellent of its kind : better"to
"one that surpasses another in quality or merit"

And "inferior":
"of little or less importance, value, or merit"
"of comparatively low grade; poor in quality; substandard"
"less important, valuable, or worthy"

[Terrapin Station]

Oops, the "to" after "better" was a typo--my kindle automatically added it for some reason.

[Ren]

The question is what do you want to know about the terms of Superior and Inferior? I think that the question is not about etymology. Or Am I wrong? And If I am... You can really use all kinds of dictionaries...

[The_architect]

A superior entity falls or lies above the inferior entity of the same object or area. A superior half of an object would lie above the bottom, or inferior half, of the object. Any entity of two parts viewed from a perpendicular perspective reveals the top half as its superior half and the bottom half as its inferior half.

[marceltr]

Sorry, perhaps I write in the wrong topic. I'm looking for a strong definition. But I appreciate it, thank you for helping.

[h_k_s]

I can't explain to my students what is the difference between superior and inferior? In anatomical terminology superior (from Latin, meaning 'above') is used to refer to what is above something, and inferior (from Latin, meaning 'below') to what is below it. But I need a huge definition. Thank you for advice.

I was going to give you the Latin roots, being as I attended Catholic high school and one of the old nuns taught us Latin there.

But you seem to have already known the Latin roots yourself.

So what exactly is wrong with above vs beneath?

Words are just words, especially in English, which is a mixture of French, Gallic, German, Latin, and Greek.

[h_k_s]

Don't you have access to general dictionaries?

Some definitions of "superior":
"of higher rank, quality, or importance"
"excellent of its kind : better"to
"one that surpasses another in quality or merit"

And "inferior":
"of little or less importance, value, or merit"
"of comparatively low grade; poor in quality; substandard"
"less important, valuable, or worthy"

Thank you Terrapin Station , for once, I actually agree with you completely.