superorder

American

[soo-per-awr-der] / ˈsu pərˌɔr dər /

noun

Biology.

a category of related orders within a class or subclass.

superorder British

/ ˈsuːpərˌɔːdə /

noun

biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subclass

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

superorder Scientific

/ so̅o̅′pər-ôr′dər /

A taxonomic category of related organisms ranking below a class or subclass and containing one or more orders.

Etymology

Origin of superorder

First recorded in 1885–90; super- + order

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The avian superorder includes common pheasants, peacocks, and swans among the 452 species of game and waterfowl.

From National Geographic

Armadillos, like anteaters and sloths, belong to the superorder Xenarthra, which includes insect-eating, big-clawed animals from the American tropics, says Don Moore, associate director of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

From National Geographic

Sloths, along with armadillos and anteaters constitute the Xenarthra superorder.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023