Latin edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Italic *-jōs, from Proto-Indo-European *-yōs, for original **-yoss, i.e. the s-stem *-yos- with masculine nominative *-s. The ō from the nominative case was made common to all cases. Afterwards nom.sg. -iōr > -ior, by Latin sound laws. Thus paradoxically, as in the r-stems (soror, -tor, -or), in the resulting paradigm the one form with a short stem vowel is the only form whose stem was etymologically long.[1]

Pronunciation edit

Suffix edit

-ior m or f (neuter -ius); third declension

  1. forms adjectives’ comparative degrees
    esculentusesculentior
    pūtiduspūtidior
    ulterulterior (not *ultrior)

Usage notes edit

  • This suffix is usually appended to the oblique stem of the adjective’s absolute degree.

Declension edit

Third-declension comparative adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masc./Fem. Neuter Masc./Fem. Neuter
Nominative -ior -ius -iōrēs -iōra
Genitive -iōris -iōrum
Dative -iōrī -iōribus
Accusative -iōrem -ius -iōrēs -iōra
Ablative -iōre -iōribus
Vocative -ior -ius -iōrēs -iōra

Derived terms edit

See also edit

  • -issimus (suffix forming adjectives’ superlative degrees)

References edit

  1. ^ Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Further reading edit

Romanian edit

Etymology edit

Inherited from Latin -olus.

Suffix edit

-ior m (plural -iori, feminine -ioară, feminine plural -ioare)

  1. Forms diminutives of nouns.
    frate (brother) + ‎-ior → ‎frățior
    mia (ewe) + ‎-ior → ‎mioară

Usage notes edit

The "i" sometimes leads to the palitalization of the previous consonant and gets subsequently deleted.

See also edit