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Above vs Greater - What's the difference?

above | greater |

As adjectives the difference between above and greater

is that above is of heaven; heavenly while greater is comparative of great.

As a preposition above

is physically over; on top of; worn on top of, as clothing.

As an adverb above

is directly overhead; vertically on top of.

As a noun above

is heaven.

above

English

Preposition

(English prepositions)
  • Physically over; on top of; worn on top of, as clothing.
  • In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; — opposed to below'' or ''beneath .
  • * (rfdate) Translation of (Genesis) 2:20,
    • Fowl that may fly above the earth.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=[http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/william-e-conner-1 William E. Conner]
    • , title=[http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/feature/2013/3/an-acoustic-arms-race An Acoustic Arms Race] , volume=101, issue=3, page=206-7, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.}}
  • Farther north than.
  • Rising; appearing out of reach height-wise.
  • Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; higher in measure, degree, volume, or pitch, etc. than; out of reach; not exposed to; not likely to be affected by; incapable of negative actions or thoughts.
  • * (rfdate) (Marlowe),
    • Thy worth […] is actions above my gifts.
  • * (rfdate) translation of 36:13,
    • I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun.
  • Higher in rank, status, or position.
  • In addition to; besides.
  • Surpassing in number or quantity; more than; as, above a hundred.
  • In preference to.
  • Too proud to stoop; averse to; disinclined; too honorable to give.
  • (theater) Upstage.
  • Beyond; on the other side.

    • Usage notes

    * (surpassing in number or quantity) Passing into the adverbial sense.

    Derived terms

    * above all * above average * above one's bend * above the law * above the salt * over and above

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Directly overhead; vertically on top of.
  • * {{quote-magazine, title=The climate of Tibet: Pole-land
    • , date=2013-05-11, volume=407, issue=8835, page=80 , magazine=(The Economist) , url=http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21577341-worlds-third-largest-area-ice-about-undergo-systematic , passage=Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything.}}
  • Higher in the same page; earlier in the order as far as writing products go.
  • * (rfdate)
    • That was said above .
  • Into or from heaven; in the sky.
    • He's in a better place now, floating free as the clouds ''above .
  • In a higher place; upstairs; farther upstream.
  • Higher in rank, power, or position.
    • He appealed to the court above .
  • (archaic) In addition.
  • More in number.
  • Above zero; above freezing.
    • It was a cold day at only 5 above .
  • (biology) On the upper half or the dorsal surface of an animal.
    • The sparrow I saw was rufous above and off-white below.

    Derived terms

    * "Above" is also used as the first part of a compound in the sense of before'', ''previously''; as, ''above''-cited, ''above''-described, ''above''-mentioned, ''above''-named, ''above''-said, ''above''-specified, ''above''-written, ''above -given.

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of heaven; heavenly.
  • Being located higher on the same page or on a preceding page.

    • Usage notes

    * Above is often used elliptically as an adjective by omitting the word said'', ''mentioned'', ''quoted , or the like: ** the above (-said) observations ** the above (-cited) reference ** the above (-quoted) articles

    Noun

    (-)
  • Heaven.
  • Something, especially a person's name in legal documents, that appears higher on the same page or on a preceding page.
  • Higher authority.

    • Usage notes

  • Above is often used further elliptically as a noun by omitting the noun, where it is should be clear what is omitted.
    • See the above .

    Related terms

    * abovesaid * aboves'd

    References

    * Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "The vertical axis", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8 * *

    Statistics

    * 200 English basic words English locatives 1000 English basic words

    greater

    English

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (great)
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-26, author= Nick Miroff
    • , volume=189, issue=7, page=32, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Mexico gets a taste for eating insects […] , passage=The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. Only the city zoo offers greater species diversity.}}
  • Used in referring to a region or place together with the surrounding area ; (of a city) metropolitan.
  • * 1990 , Geza Peter Lauter & Chikara Higashi, Internationalization of the Japanese Economy , ISBN 0792390520, p. 285
  • *:more than 25 percent of the country's population live there.
  • * 1997 , Virginia Boucher, Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook , ISBN 0838906672, p. 98
  • *:located in the greater Midwest.
  • * 2004 , Richard Alan Meckel & Heather Munro Prescott, Children and Youth in Sickness and in Health: A Historical Handbook and Guide , ISBN 0313330417, p. 201
    • The rate in isolated counties was about a third higher than in the greater metropolitan counties.

    Statistics

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