superlative

/sʊˈpɜːlətɪv/suu-PUR-luh-tiv

/sʊˈpɝlətɪv/suu-PUR-luh-tiv

Meaningcarried above

Common meaning: of the highest degree

superover, above
latcarried, borneLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1039 · scan
iveadjective ending: tending to

‘over, above’ + ‘carried, borne’ → superlative

Journey through time

Latinlātus (past part. of ferō)‘carried, borne’
Frenchsuperlatif
Englishsuperlative‘of the highest degree’ · today

super- also in: supervene supervise superficial superfluous superintend

lat also in: relate collate prelate translate

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin lātus (past part. of ferō) ‘carried, borne’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry lātus (past part. of ferō), p. 1039 · dictionary scan

Roots

lātus (past part. of ferō) Latin “carried, borne”

Related words

collate prelate relate translate

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