Supererogation
[soo-pər-ər-ə-GEY-shun]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, early 16th century
1.
The performance of more work than duty requires.
Examples of Supererogation in a sentence
"Will put in hours of supererogation due to staff vacations."
"Sydney’s grades were bumped up substantially with all of her supererogation."
About Supererogation
This word comes from the late Latin “supererogatio(n-),” from “supererogare,” meaning “pay in addition.” Stems from “super-,” meaning “over” + “erogare,” meaning “pay out.”
Did you Know?
The idea of acts of supererogation, those which are morally good, but not required, first appeared in the Bible in the story of a Good Samaritan. The Latin Bible uses the word “super-erogare.” Philosophers began to study supererogation as a non-religious ethical theory in the 1960s.
