-íssimo
See also: -issimo
Portuguese
editEtymology
editBorrowed from Latin -issimus. The borrowing occurred during the Renaissance by influence of Italian[1].
Suffix
edit-íssimo m (feminine -íssima, plural -íssimos, feminine plural -íssimas)
- forms the absolute superlative
Usage notes
edit- Though both are called superlatives, Portuguese words suffixed with -íssimo are not equivalent to English words suffixed with -est or preceded by most. Instead, they are equivalent to using the adverbs very or extremely to qualify the adjective.
- The following ending(s) change(s) in words appended with this suffix:
- ⟨-ão⟩ (as a non-verb suffix, incl. plurals) → ⟨-on⟩
- ⟨-ã(o)⟩ (incl. plurals) → ⟨-(i)an⟩, ⟨-am⟩, or ⟨-(i)on⟩, depending on the base word's etymology
- ⟨-m⟩ (incl. plurals) → ⟨-n⟩
- ⟨-vel⟩ (unstressed and adjectival, incl. plurals) → ⟨-bil⟩
- ⟨-z⟩ (adjectival, incl. plurals) → ⟨-c⟩
- Adjectives ending in the semivowel ⟨i⟩ followed by a vowel lose the semivowel in nonstandard usage:
- Some words may loan the superlative from Latin in addition to forming one with this suffix:
- paupérrimo (loaned from pauperrimus) and pobríssimo, superlatives of pobre
- Colloquially, the syllable ⟨ssi⟩ may be repeated a number of times for emphasis:
- grande (“big”) + -issíssimo → grandissíssimo (“very very big”)
Derived terms
editReferences
edit- ^ 2009, Evanildo Bechara, Moderna Gramática Portuguesa, 37th edition, Editora Nova Fronteira, Editora Lucerna, page 154.