Gracillimus, most slender.—A dustman’s leg.
&c. &c.
If a vowel comes before us in the nominative case of an adjective, the comparison is made by magis, more, and maximè, most.
Pius, pious.—Dr. Cantwell.
Magis pius, more pious.—Mr. Maw-worm.
Maximè pius, most pious.—Mr. Stiggins.
Sancho Panza called Don Quixote, Quixottissimus. This was not good Latin, but it evinced a knowledge on Sancho’s part, of the nature of the superlative degree.
OF A PRONOUN.
A pronoun is a substitute, or (as we once heard a lady of the Malaprop family say), a subterfuge for a noun.