Legal Definitions - supernumerarii

Supernumerarii is a Latin term originating from Roman law that literally translates to "persons above the number." It refers to individuals who hold a position or perform a function beyond the officially authorized or permitted number for that specific role, group, or organization.

While the term itself comes from ancient Roman legal contexts, the underlying concept of someone being "above the number" can be understood through modern examples:

• Imagine a small town's fire department that is officially budgeted and authorized to employ ten firefighters. During a period of high fire risk, the department temporarily brings in two additional, experienced volunteers to assist with emergency calls, even though these volunteers are not part of the official ten-person headcount. These two volunteers would be considered supernumerarii because they are performing the duties of firefighters beyond the department's officially permitted number of employees.

• Consider a university department that has a strict limit of five tenured professors. If the department temporarily hires a distinguished visiting scholar to teach a specialized course and conduct research for a semester, and this scholar is not counted within the permanent five-professor limit, they would be acting as a supernumerarius. They are fulfilling a faculty role "above the number" of officially designated tenured positions.

• In a professional sports league, each team has a roster limit for active players. If a team brings on an injured player for rehabilitation and training who is not officially on the active roster but participates in team activities and practices, that player could be seen as a supernumerarius. They are part of the team's operational structure, but "above the number" of officially recognized active players.