Herbert Weir Smyth [
n.d.],
A Greek Grammar for Colleges; Machine readable text [
info] [
word count] [
Smyth].
313
Comparison by -τερος, -τατος.—The usual endings are:
For the comparative: -τερος m. -τερα_ f. -τερον n.
For the superlative: -τατος m. -τατη f. -τατον n.
The endings are added to the masculine stem of the positive. Comparatives are declined like ἄξιος, superlatives like ἀγαθός ( cross287).
δῆλος (δηλο-) clear, δηλό-τερος, δηλό-τατος; ἰσχυ_ρός (ἰσχυ_ρο-) strong, ἰσχυ_ρότερος, ἰσχυ_ρό-τατος; μέλα_ς (μελαν-) black, μελάν-τερος, μελάν-τατος; βαρύς (βαρυ-) heavy, βαρύ-τερος, βαρύ-τατος; ἀληθής (ἀληθες-) true, ἀληθές-τερος, ἀληθές-τατος; εὐκλεής (εὐκλεες-) famous, εὐκλεές-τερος, εὐκλεές-τατος.
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a. χαριέστερος, -έστατος are from χαριετ-τερος, -τατος ( cross83, cross299 b), from χαρίεις graceful. Compounds of χάρις grace add ο to the stem (χαριτ-ο-), whence ἐπιχαριτώτερος more pleasing. πένης poor has πενές-τερος from πενετ-τερος, with ε for η.
b. Originally -τερος had no other force than to contrast one idea with another, and this function is retained in δεξίτερος right) (ἀρίστερος left, ἡμέτερος our) ( ὑ_μέτερος your. Hom. has several such words: ἀγρότερος wild) (tame, θηλύτεραι γυναῖκες) (men, cp. Arcadian ἀρρέντερος from ἄρρην male. Cp. cross1082 b.
Herbert Weir Smyth [
n.d.],
A Greek Grammar for Colleges; Machine readable text [
info] [
word count] [
Smyth].
