superordinate (adj.)

A term sometimes used in GRAMMATICAL DESCRIPTION to refer to a linguistic UNIT higher up a HIERARCHY than another (SUBORDINATE) unit. For example, in John saw where Mary lived, John saw (or, John saw X) is the superordinate CLAUSE while where Mary lived is the subordinate clause. The term is also used in other areas of LINGUISTICS to refer to higher-order units, such as the more inclusive LEXICAL item in HYPONYMY (flower is the superordinate label for tulip, daffodil, etc.).