s sly, as if
pointing one out by a significant nod (L. _in_, in, to, and _nuo_, nod).

* * * * *

SUPERNATURAL.

Synonyms:

miraculous, preternatural, superhuman.

The _supernatural_ (_super_, above) is above or superior to the
recognized powers of nature; the _preternatural_ (_preter_, beyond) is
aside from or beyond the recognized results or operations of natural
law, often in the sense of inauspicious; as, a _preternatural_ gloom.
_Miraculous_ is more emphatic and specific than _supernatural_, as
referring to the direct personal intervention of divine power. Some hold
that a miracle, as the raising of the dead, is a direct suspension and
even violation of natural laws by the fiat of the Creator, and hence is,
in the strictest sense, _supernatural_; others hold that the miracle is
simply the calling forth of a power residing in the laws of nature, but
not within their ordinary operation, and dependent on a distinct act of
God, so that the _miraculous_ might be termed "extranatural," rather
than _supernatural_. All that is beyond human power is _superhuman_; as,
prophecy gives evidence of _superhuman_ knowledge; the word is
sometimes applied to remarkable manifestations of human power,
surpassing all that is ordinary.

Antonyms:

common, commonplace, everyday, natural, ordinary, usual.

* * * * *

SUPPORT.

Synonyms:

bear, cherish, keep, maintain, sustain,
carry, hold up, keep up, prop, uphold.

_Support_ and _sustain_ alike signify to _hold up_ or _keep up_, to
prevent from falling or sinking; but _sustain_ has a special sense of
continuous exertion or of great strength continuously exerted, as when
we speak of _sustained_ endeavor or a _sustained_ note; a flower is
_supported_ by the stem or a temple-roof by arches; the foundations of a
great building _sustain_ an enormous pressure; to _sustain_ life implies
a greater exigency and need than to _support_ life; to say one is
_sustained_ under affliction is to say more both of the severity of the
trial and the completeness of the _upholding_ than if we say he is
_supported_. To _bear_ is the most general word, denoting all _holding
up_ or _keeping up_ of any object, whether in rest or motion; in the
derived senses it refers to something that is a tax upon strength or
endurance; as, to _bear_ a strain; to _bear_ pain or grief. To
_maintain_ is to _keep_ in a s