| 释义 |
-est, suffix
forming the superl. deg. of adjs. and advbs., represents two forms originally distinct: (1) OE. -ost-, -ust-, -ast-, corresp. to OFris., ON. -ast-, OS., OHG., Goth. -ôst-:—OTeut. -ôsto-; (2) OE. -est-, -st-, with umlaut, corresp. to OFris., OS., OHG., Goth. -isto-:—OTeut. -isto-. These OTeut. suffixes are combinations of the two comparative suffixes -ôz-, -iz- with OAryan -to-; similar formations in other Aryan langs. are Gr. -ιστο-, Skr. ishṭha-. In OE. the two suffixes were already confused, so that -ost- occasionally appears with umlaut of the root-vowel, and conversely -est- without umlaut; a few umlaut forms survived into early ME., as lengeste longest; the only examples now remaining are best, eldest. In OE. (as in Gothic) the suffix -isto- was added to the stems of certain older superlatives formed with the suffix -m-; the resulting OE. ending -mest- was in later Eng. confused with the adv. most: cf. forma, fyrmest, foremost; innema, innemest, inmost: see -most. (For the relation in historical and present usage between the inflexional comparison in -er, -est, and the periphrastic comparison with the advbs. more, most: see -er3.) |