Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

superlative

UK /suːˈpɜːlətɪv/ · US /suˈpɝlətɪv/ adjective, noun

Forms superlatives

  1. adjective (literally) Having the power to carry something or someone above, over or beyond others.
  2. adjective (figuratively) Exceptionally good; of the highest quality.
  3. adjective (grammar) Of or relating to the superlative degree (a degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs).
  4. noun The extreme (e.g. highest, lowest, deepest, farthest, etc) extent or degree of something.
  5. noun (grammar) 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).
  6. noun (grammar) An adjective or adverb in the superlative degree. “Daniel is amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and many other superlatives I can’t think of right now!”

Synonyms

above and beyond exceptional fabulous extraordinary superb acme apex height peak zenith superlative degree elevation pinnacle summit meridian tiptop top greatest sterling

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”).

Webster’s 1913

  1. adjective Lifted up to the highest degree; most eminent; surpassing all other; supreme; as, superlative wisdom or prudence; a woman of superlative beauty; the superlative glory of the divine character.
  2. adjective Expressing the highest or lowest degree of the quality, manner, etc., denoted by an adjective or an adverb. The superlative degree is formed from the positive by the use of -est, most, or least; as, highest, most pleasant, least bright.
  3. noun That which is highest or most eminent; the utmost degree.
  4. noun (a) The superlative degree of adjectives and adverbs; also, a form or word by which the superlative degree is expressed; as, strongest, wisest, most stormy, least windy, are all superlatives. Absolute superlative, a superlative in an absolute rather than in a comparative or exclusive sense. See Elative.

Etymology [L. superlativus, fr. superlatus excessive, used as p.p. of superiorferre, but from a different root: cf. F. superlatif. See Elate, Tolerate.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “superlative”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details

Sanskrit

Sanskrit dictionary entries whose meaning includes “superlative” (best matches first).

All 12 Sanskrit matches →