353. Some positives have a comparative or superlative, or both, from a
different form of the stem: such are,
frūgī, _thrifty_, frūgālior, frūgālissimus.
nēquam, _naughty_, nēquior, nēquissimus.
iuvenis, _young_, iūnior, (nātū minimus).
senex, _old_, senior, (nātū maximus).
magnus, _great_, maior, maximus (351).
beneficus, _kindly_, beneficentior, beneficentissimus.
honōrificus, _complimentary_, honōrificentior, honōrificentissimus.
magnificus, _grand_, magnificentior, magnificentissimus.
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_.
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.
[Erratum:
358 ... (inscrr.; Cic. once), _generous_,
_generous_.]