a. [ad. med.L. supermundānus (Thomas Aquinas), f. super- SUPER- 1 + mundus world: cf. MUNDANE.]
1. Elevated in nature or character above what pertains to the earth or world; belonging to a region above the world.
1677. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, II. IV. 448. The Spirit of God is called by these Platonistes … the Supermundane soul of the Universe.
1678. Cudworth, Intell. Syst., I. iv. § 36. 546. The Platonists … had … several Distinctions amongst them concerning their Gods, as between … The Supermundane and the Mundane Gods.
1788. T. Taylor, Proclus, I. 159. In a distribution of mundane and super-mundane figures, you will always find that the circle is of a diviner nature.
1818. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1830), IV. 309. Perhaps, in that super-mundane region, we may be amused with seeing the fallacy of our own guesses.
1855. Milman, Lat. Christ., XIV. ii. VI. 405. The triple and novene division ran throughout, and connected,… almost identified the mundane and supermundane Church.
1903. Swete, Stud. Teaching Our Lord, v. 144. Life in a Divine Kingdom must have a supermundane source.
b. Humorously or ironically applied to what is ideal, fantastic or chimerical.
1870. H. Lonsdale, Life R. Knox, xiii. 248. He never could give countenance to the supermundane hypotheses of his friend Professor W. Macdonald.
1878. Angus Cameron, in N. Amer. Rev., CXXVI. 489. According to this super-mundane argument, the rule of two Southern States was justly given over to the armed minority.
2. Situated above the earth. rare.
1882–3. Schaff’s Encycl. Relig. Knowl., II. 950. Heaven is in this case [Gen. viii. 20] supermundane … distinct from the earth.
Hence Supermundanity, something supermundane.
1843. J. B. Robertson, trans. Moehler’s Symbol., II. 189. Earthly bonds cannot be, without violence,… at once, replaced by super-mundanities.
