[354]. iuvenior, younger, is late (Sen., Plin., Tac.). benevolēns, kindly, benevolentior, benevolentissimus, and maledīcēns, abusive, maledīcentior (once each, Plaut.), maledīcentissimus, have usually as positive benevolus and maledicus respectively.
[355]. Some positives have a comparative or superlative, or both, from a wholly different stem: such are,
| bonus, good, | melior, | optimus ([351]). |
| malus, bad, | peior, | pessimus ([351]). |
| multus, much, | plūs (sing. Ne. only), | plūrimus ([352]). |
| parvus, little, | minor, | minimus ([352]). |
parvus has rarely parvissimus.
[356]. Four comparatives in -erior or -terior, denoting place ([348]), have two forms of the superlative; the nominative masculine singular of the positive is not in common use:
| exterior, | extimus ([351]), or extrēmus ([352]), outermost. |
| īnferior, | īnfimus, or īmus, lowest. |
| posterior, | postumus ([351]), lastborn, or postrēmus ([352]), last. |
| superior, | summus ([352]), or suprēmus ([352]), highest. |
[357]. Six, denoting place, have the positive only as an adverb or preposition:
| cis, this side, | citerior ([348]), | citimus ([351]), hitherest. |
| dē, down, | dēterior ([348]), | dēterrimus, lowest, worst. |
| in, in, | interior ([348]), | intimus, inmost. |
| prae, before, | prior, | prīmus ([352]), first. |
| prope, near, | propior, | proximus ([351]), nearest. |
| uls, beyond, | ulterior ([348]), | ultimus ([351]), furthest. |
ōcior, swifter, ōcissimus, has no positive.
[358]. These have a superlative, but no comparative: bellus, pretty, falsus, false, inclutus, famed, invictus, unconquered, invītus, unwilling, meritus, deserving, novus, new; vetus, veterrimus, old, sacer, sacerrimus, sacred, vafer, vaferrimus, sly; malevolus, malevolentissimus (twice, Cic.), spiteful; maleficus, maleficentissimus (once, Suet.), wicked, mūnificus, mūnificentissimus (inscrr.; Cic. once), generous, mīrificus, mīrificissimus (twice, Acc., Ter.), strange. Plautus has ipsissumus, his very self.