Adjective

There are three degrees of Adjectives in Latin: Positive, Comparitive, and Superlative.

For Example:
Positive - Good, Bad, Indifferent
Comparative - Better, Worse, more Indifferent
Superlative - Best, Worst, most Indifferent

Adjectives are almost always in one of the first three declensions, and those in the first two are formed the same way:

• To form the positive, take the base (the word without the ending given), and add the endings corresponding to it's declension (for example, first declension adjectives would add -us for masculine, -a for feminine, or -um for neuter.)
• To form the comparitive, take the base and add -ior for masculine or feminine, or add -ius for neuter
• To form the superlative, take the base and add -issimus for masculine, -issima for feminine, and -issimum for neuter.

For Example:

     mas         fem        neu
pos  altus       alta       altum       (high)
com  altior      altior     altium      (higher)
sup  altissimus  altissima  altissimum  (highest)

pos  fortis      fortis     forte       (strong}
com  fortior     fortior    fortium     (stronger)
sup  fortissimus fortissima fortissimum (strongest)

Ad"jec*tive (#), a. [See Adjective, n.]

1.

Added to a substantive as an attribute; of the nature of an adjunct; as, an word sentence.

2.

Not standing by itself; dependent.

Adjective color, a color which requires to be fixed by some mordant or base to give it permanency.

3.

Relating to procedure.

"The whole English law, substantive and adjective."

Macaulay.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Ad"jec*tive, n. [L. adjectivum (sc. nomen), neut. of adjectivus that is added, fr. adjicere: cf. F. adjectif. See Adject.]

1. Gram.

A word used with a noun, or substantive, to express a quality of the thing named, or something attributed to it, or to limit or define it, or to specify or describe a thing, as distinct from something else. Thus, in phrase, "a wise ruler," wise is the adjective, expressing a property of ruler.

2.

A dependent; an accessory.

Fuller.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Ad"jec*tive, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Adjectived (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Adjectiving (#).]

To make an adjective of; to form or change into an adjective.

[R.]

Language has as much occasion to adjective the distinct signification of the verb, and to adjective also the mood, as it has to adjective time. It has . . . adjectived all three. Tooke.

 

© Webster 1913.