supermarket (n.)

early 12c., "a meeting at a fixed time for buying and selling livestock and provisions, an occasion on which goods are publicly exposed for sale and buyers assemble to purchase," from Old North French market "marketplace, trade, commerce" (Old French marchiet, Modern French marché), from Latin mercatus "trading, buying and selling; trade; market" (source of Italian mercato, Spanish mercado, Dutch markt, German Markt), from past participle of mercari "to trade, deal in, buy," from merx (genitive mercis) "wares, merchandise." This is from an Italic root *merk-, possibly from Etruscan, referring to various aspects of economics.

The god Mercurius was probably the god of exchange. According to [Walde-Hoffmann], the god's name was borrowed from Etruscan; in principle, the same is possible for the stem *merk- altogether. [de Vaan]

Meaning "public building or space where markets are held" is attested from late 13c. Meaning "a city, country or region considered as a place where things are bought or sold" is from 1610s. Sense of "sale as controlled by supply and demand" is from 1680s. Market-garden "plot of land on which vegetables are grown for market" is by 1789. Market-basket "large basket used to carry marketing" is by 1798. Market price "price a commodity will bring when sold in open market" is from mid-15c.; market value "value established or shown by sales" (1690s) is first attested in the writings of John Locke. Market economy is from 1948; market research is from 1921.

word-forming element of Latin origin meaning "above, over" in place or position; also in manner, degree, or measure, "over, beyond;" from Latin super (adverb and preposition) "above, over, on the top (of), beyond, besides, in addition to." This is from *(s)uper-, variant form of PIE root *uper "over."

In English words from Old French, it appears as sur-. Most of the Latin compounds in it are post-classical; it has been a living element in English since 15c. In Medieval Latin and Romanic languages it can be confused with related supra-, and some English words exist in both forms.

In 17c., when many English compounds in super- were coined in religious and spiritual writing, the notion in it was "beyond; not partaking of." Hence superordinary "excellent, better than what is common or usual" (1620s); supersensual "above or beyond the senses, imperceptible to human sense" (1680s); super-rational "that is above or beyond the scope of reason" (1680s).

But it also was used in the sciences in the sense of "in or to the highest or a very high degree," and has come to be felt popularly as "in an exaggerated degree, very much," as in supersensitive "extremely sensitive" (1839); supercool "very fashionable" (1970), which runs contrary to the old sense. Hence supersexual, attested by 1895 as "transcending sexuality; 'platonic' " and by 1968 as "sexual in an extreme degree." Also compare superhuman, which in the 1630s meant "divine, above or beyond what is human," but, by c. 1800, also, and typically since, meant "above the powers or nature of man."