comparative
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?
Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm
Proto-Italic *kom
Proto-Italic *kom-
Latin con-
Latin pār
Latin compār
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Italic *-āō
Latin -ō
Latin comparō
Proto-Indo-European *-wós
Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder.
Latin īvus
Latin comparātīvusbor.
Old French comparatifbor.
Middle English comparatif
English comparative
From Middle English comparatif, from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparātus, from comparāre (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -īvus.
Inflected forms:
form: more comparative
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most comparative
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: comparatives
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Of or relating to comparison.
pos: adj
examples: He gave us a comparative example to illustrate how the human mind works.
that kind of animals that have the comparative faculty, by which they compare things together, deliberate and resolve.
gloss: Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.
pos: adj
examples: A comparative study between Homo Sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis.
comparative anatomy
After all, it is undeniable that the B.R. standard coach scored highly in comparative trials with other European railway vehicles on the Continent a few years ago, so that B.R. civil engineers must share responsibility for any defects in its behaviour over here.
gloss: Approximated by comparison; relative.
pos: adj
examples: I've passed the test with comparative ease.
The Olympics, the weather and a comparative lack of heavyweight clashes so far this season have been cited as reasons for the drop in viewers.
The recurrence of comparative warmth and cold.
This bubble, […] by reason of its comparative levity to the fluid that encloses it, would necessarily ascend to the top.
gloss: Comparable; bearing comparison.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: And need he had of slumber yet, for none / Had suffered more—his hardships were comparative / To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative.
gloss: The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing two entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the comparative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -er or the word more (e.g. bigger, more fully); the comparative of equality, by adding the word as (e.g. as big, as fully); the comparative of inferiority, by adding the word less (e.g. less big, less fully).
pos: noun
gloss: An adjective or adverb in the comparative degree.
pos: noun
gloss: Data used to make a comparison.
pos: noun
tags: in-plural
examples: Investment ratios are positive. Comparative or trend data are required to draw final conclusions. The absence of comparatives and trend data constrains the conclusions.
gloss: An equal; a rival; a compeer.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: Gerrard ever was / His full comparative.
gloss: One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
examples: Every beardless vain comparative.
Related words: absolute superlative
relative superlative
comparative superlative
contrastive
elative
Derived words: comparatist
comparatively
comparativeness
comparativism
comparativist
comparativistic
macrocomparative
noncomparative
absolute comparative
comparative of equality
comparative of inferiority
comparative of superiority
Translations: