ultra-

Beyond; extreme.

Latin ultra, beyond.

The form is common in scientific terms, such as ultraviolet, of electromagnetic radiation beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum; ultrasonic, involving sound waves too high pitched for humans to hear; ultrashort, of radio waves that have a wavelength shorter than about 10 metres; ultracentrifuge, a very fast centrifuge used to precipitate large biological molecules from solution.

In non-technical terms, it often refers to something taken to an extreme, as in ultraleft, of an individual or group holding opinions at the extreme left of the political spectrum; ultraist, a holder of extreme opinions; ultrafeminine, being feminine to an extreme extent; ultraportable, a type of personal computer that is extremely small.

In a few words the sense is of something lying beyond another in physical position, as in the deep blue pigment ultramarine, which derives from Latin ultramarinus, beyond the sea, literally something obtained from overseas; ultramontane (Latin mons, mont‑, mountain) refers to advocacy of supreme papal authority in matters of faith and discipline (originally it denoted a representative of the Roman Catholic Church north of the Alps, beyond the Alps from the viewpoint of Rome).