supererogation

1 9.9

An action of helping beyond what you must do

noun
/ˌsuːpərɪˈroʊɡeɪʃən/

Formal

: supererogación

Many believe that acts of supererogation, like helping a neighbor without being asked, strengthen community bonds.

Examples

We become acquainted with others through acts of responsible surrender to what is required of us, rather than supererogation or arrogation.

Academic text (1992)
Volunteering at the shelter every weekend is an act of supererogation that demonstrates her commitment to helping those in need.
His decision to donate his bonus to charity was seen as an act of supererogation, going beyond what was expected of him.

How Obligatory

obligation

433 3.2

duty

∞ 1.0

supererogation

Formal

1 9.9

Surface Forms

supererogation singular

supererogations plural

Morphology

supererogation = supererogate (semi-transparent) = super + erogate + ion

Formation is a regular noun derivation from the verb 'supererogate', but the verb and root are rare/Latin-derived and not familiar to average learners.

Etymology

Supererogation comes from Latin parts super- meaning 'above' and erogare meaning 'to pay out', so it originally meant 'paying more than is due'. So, supererogation now means doing more than duty requires, an extra good action like a bonus gift.