Origins
The prefix 'super-' is one of the most productive and widely used prefixes in Modern English. It descends from Latin 'super' (above, over, beyond), itself from Proto-Indo-European *(s)uper, meaning 'over, above.' The same PIE root produced Greek 'hyper-' (ὑπέρ), Sanskrit 'upari,' Old English 'ofer' (the direct Germanic descendant, giving modern 'over'), and Gothic 'ufar.' German 'über' is the direct cognate in modern Germanic; Latin 'super,' Greek 'hyper,' and English 'over' are three sibling reflexes of the same PIE root that English now uses side by side as distinct prefixes with slightly different flavours.
In Classical Latin, 'super-' was productive in verbs and nouns with the senses 'above,' 'over,' 'beyond,' and sometimes 'in addition to': 'superare' (to be above, to overcome), 'superficies' (upper surface — whence 'superficial'), 'superbus' (lofty, proud — whence 'superb'), 'supernus' (of above — whence 'supernal'), 'superstes' (standing above, surviving — whence 'superstition,' originally 'standing over in awe').
'Super-' entered English in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in learned and ecclesiastical borrowings: 'superfluous' (flowing over), 'superior' (higher), 'superlative,' 'superstition,' 'supervise,' 'supreme' (highest). In these early borrowings the prefix is generally not analysable to English speakers because the base does not exist independently.
French Influence
A parallel development occurred through Old French, which reduced Latin 'super-' to 'sor-' and then 'sur-.' English borrowed many 'sur-' words from French: 'surface' (from 'sur-' + 'face,' on top of the face), 'surname,' 'surplus,' 'surpass,' 'surrender,' 'surround,' 'surrogate,' 'survey,' 'survive.' These are the same prefix historically but feel different to modern English speakers because of the French intermediate stage.
The productivity of 'super-' exploded in the late nineteenth and especially the twentieth centuries. It became the intensifier par excellence in English, attached freely to almost any noun or adjective to mean 'very great,' 'extraordinary,' or 'exceeding normal bounds.' This usage began in the late 1800s with technical coinages ('superheat,' 'supersaturate') and spread to general vocabulary: 'superman' (1903, translating Nietzsche's 'Übermensch' through George Bernard Shaw), 'superhuman,' 'supernatural' (much older, 15th c.), 'superpower' (1922, politics), 'supermarket' (1933, American), 'superstar' (1925), 'superhighway' (1925), 'superhero' (1917), 'supercomputer' (1929, then 1960s for modern sense), 'supersonic' (1919), 'supernova' (1934), 'supermodel' (1970s).
In technical scientific vocabulary, 'super-' has specialised meanings: 'supersonic' (faster than sound), 'supersaturated' (containing more solute than would normally dissolve), 'superconductor' (conducting with zero resistance), 'supercluster' (of galaxies), 'supernumerary' (exceeding the regular number), 'superstring' (in physics), 'superoxide' (in chemistry). The prefix indicates 'exceeding' or 'above the normal threshold.'
Modern Usage
As an informal intensifier, 'super-' is one of the most productive elements in contemporary spoken English: 'super-fast,' 'super-easy,' 'super-cool,' 'super-cute,' 'super-nice.' Used this way it often functions adverbially, modifying an adjective with a meaning close to 'very': 'super-impressive,' 'super-important.' This usage has become so common that 'super' can be used alone as a standalone adverb or adjective ('that's super,' 'super!'), a development that parallels the history of other intensifying prefixes like 'mega-' and 'ultra-.'
Hyphenation is variable. When 'super-' is transparently added to an English word, a hyphen is often used ('super-intelligent,' 'super-fast'), especially in British English. American English and specialised scientific usage tend to drop the hyphen ('supermarket,' 'superhuman,' 'superpower'). No consistent rule applies; style guides recommend hyphenation when the result would otherwise be ambiguous or awkward.
'Super-' has a close cousin in English: Greek-derived 'hyper-,' which means essentially the same thing but feels more scientific or more extreme. 'Supercritical' and 'hypercritical' overlap; 'supersensitive' and 'hypersensitive' are near synonyms. In general, 'super-' tends to denote positive exceeding ('superpower,' 'superstar') while 'hyper-' can carry a pejorative or excessive connotation ('hyperactive,' 'hypersensitive,' 'hyperbole'). The two are not fully interchangeable because of these connotational differences.
Scientific Usage
Representative 'super-' words include: superannuated, superb, supercilious, superficial, superfluous, superhuman, superintend, superior, superlative, supermarket, supernatural, supernova, supernumerary, superpower, supersede, supersonic, superstar, superstition, superstructure, supervene, supervise, supervisor. Productive modern coinages: super-cool, super-easy, super-fast, super-fine, super-fit, super-fresh, super-friendly, super-hot, super-important, super-intelligent, super-modern, super-popular, super-quick, super-sharp, super-strong, super-tiny. Scientific/technical: superalloy, supercluster, supercomputer, superconductor, superfluid, supergiant, supergroup, superhighway, superhet, superluminal, superposition, supersaturation, superscript, superserver, supersymmetry.