superlative
/suːˈpɜːlətɪv/
superlative means having the power to carry something or someone above, over or beyond others. It carries an Arena rating of 1802, earned across 17 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, superlative ranks #516 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,201 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,723 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,491 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
superlative is pronounced /suːˈpɜːlətɪv/.
Why “superlative” is a great word
Of the highest quality or degree, or the grammatical form used to express that extreme. Its lineage, from Middle English superlatyf, from Old French superlatif, from Late Latin superlātīvus, from Latin superlātus ("carried above, extravagant"), past participle of superferre ("to carry over"), from super ("above") + ferre ("to bear, carry"), first recorded in English 1350–1400, speaks of elevation and excess, a word borne into the language already straining at its limits. Unlike the "comparative," which measures one thing against another, or "peerless," which declares a solitary, qualitative supremacy, "superlative" is a verdict of hierarchy, the crowning apex in a field of contenders. It is the "-est" affixed to an adjective, the gold medal on a stepped podium, the single, undeniable star burning brightest in a constellation—a summit that, once declared, holds only the air above it.
Etymology
From Middle English superlatyf, from Old French superlatif, from Late Latin superlātīvus, from Latin superlātus (“carried above, over; extravagant, of hyperbole”), past participle of superfero (“carry over”), from super (“above”) + fero (“bear, carry”).
adj
- Having the power to carry something or someone above, over or beyond others.
- Exceptionally good; of the highest quality.e.g.“The Governor-General was entertaining at a civil banquet in the evening. He is reported as having made a “superlative speech, congratulating the Victorians on their loyalty; […].”” — 1894, Alexander Begg, History of British Columbia, page 509:
- Of or relating to the superlative degree (a degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs).
noun
- The extreme (e.g. highest, lowest, deepest, farthest, etc) extent or degree of something.e.g.“A twist is accordingly something especially good, and a big twist is the superlative of excellence.” — 1966, Sidney John Baker, The Australian language:
- The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing three or more entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the superlative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -est or the word most (e.g. tiniest, most fully); the superlative of inferiority, by adding the word least (e.g. least big, least fully).
- An adjective or adverb in the superlative degree.e.g.“Daniel is amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and many other superlatives I can’t think of right now!”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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