sŭper-văcŭus, a, um, adj., useless, needless, unnecessary, superfluous, redundant (not ante-Aug.; while supervacaneus is class.): omne supervacuum pleno de pectore manat, Hor. A. P. 337: non tam obest audire supervacua quam ignorare necessaria, Quint. 12, 8, 7: carnes, Plin. 32, 7, 24, § 69: coma, id. 16, 36, 64, § 158: radix, id. 25, 9, 64, § 111: frondes, Col. 5, 5, 19: mihi Baias Musa supervacuas Antonius facit, of no benefit, Hor. Ep. 1, 15, 3: sepulcri honores, id. C. 2, 20, 24: metus, Ov. P. 2, 7, 6: cultus lupini, Col. 2, 11, 5: doctrina, Quint. 2, 8, 8: labor, id. 3, 6, 65: facta, Suet. Tib. 52: pugna, Just. 3, 7, 4: multa, Plin. Pan. 50: littera, Quint. 12, 10, 3: dolium, App. M. 9, p. 219, 19: quod monere supervacuum fuerat, Quint. 1, 4, 22; 11, 2, 45; Col. Arb. 26, 9; Plin. 25, 10, 74, § 121: qui dicit: tu occidisti, supervacuum habet postea dicere: ego non occidi, Quint. 7, 2, 21: quale sit describere supervacuum habeo, Plin. 27, 12, 99, § 125: diligentiam in supervacuis adfectare, id. 17, 1, 1, § 9.
Adv. with prepp.: res ad praecavendum vel ex supervacuo movit, Liv. 2, 37, 8: quid est iracundia in supervacuum tumultuante frigidius? to no purpose, uselessly, Sen. Ira, 2, 11, 2; id. Cons. ad Marc. 1, 6; id. Ep. 70, 15: adjectio vicini pro supervacuo habenda est, Dig. 8, 4, 5.
Adv., superfluously, uselessly.