comparative
/kəmˈpæɹətɪv/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.77 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of or relating to comparison.
noun
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).
noun
An adjective or adverb in the comparative degree.
noun
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "I've passed the test with comparative ease."
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-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō 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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: comparatif, comparātīvus, -īvus
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /kəmˈpæɹətɪv/