[359]. Most primitives in -ilis and -bilis ([292], [294]), have a comparative, but no superlative; but these have a superlative: facilis and difficilis ([345]), easy and hard, ūtilis, useful; also fertilis, productive, amābilis, lovable, mōbilis, movable, nōbilis, well known.
[360]. Many adjectives have no suffixes of comparison, and supply the place of these by magis, more, and maximē, most: as, mīrus, strange, magis mīrus, maximē mīrus. Many adjectives, from their meaning, do not admit of comparison.
COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADVERBS.
[361]. Adverbs derived from adjectives have as their comparative the accusative singular neuter of the comparative adjective; the superlative is formed like that of the adjective, but ends in -ē: as,
| altē, on high, | altius, | altissimē. |
| ācriter, sharply, | ācrius, | ācerrimē. |
| facile, easily, | facilius, | facillimē. |
[362]. An older superlative ending, -ēd for -ē, occurs in an inscription of 186 B.C.: FACILVMED, i.e. facillimē. A few adverbs have superlatives in -ō or -um: as, meritissimō, most deservedly; prīmō, at first, prīmum, first; postrēmō, at last, postrēmum, for the last time.
[363]. If the comparison of the adjective has peculiarities, they are retained in the adverb likewise: as, bene, well, melius, optimē; male, ill, peius, pessimē; multum, much, plūs, plūrimum; mātūrē, betimes, mātūrius, mātūrissimē (Cic., Plin.), or mātūrrimē (Cic., Caes., Sall., Tac.). ōcius, swifter, no positive, ōcissimē. minus, less, is formed by the nominal suffix -es- ([236]), from √min- (minuō); for magis, more, see [135, 2]. In poetry magis sometimes becomes mage, as if neuter of an adjective in -i-.
[364]. A few adverbs not derived from adjectives are compared: as, diū, long, diūtius, diūtissimē; saepe, often, saepius, saepissimē; nūper, lately, no comparative, nūperrimē; secus, otherwise, sētius, the less; temperī, betimes, temperius, earlier, no superlative.
[(B.) FORMATION OF DENOMINATIVE VERBS.]
[365]. Denominative verb stems have present infinitives in -āre, -ēre, or -īre (-ārī, -ērī, or -īrī), and are formed from noun stems of all endings: as,