MacDonnell II - Wilbourhall.org

9.6 DECLENSION [10313. In a few examples the suffix is added to tlie derivative form ofthe root which appears in the adjective ;thus as-istha (ui/f-iffTo-s) besideas-u (wK-v-s) sioift (from as reach) ; tiksn-iyams sharper beside tiksnasharp (from tij he sharp) ; n^v-iyams neicer, nav-istha netvest beside u^vaneui ; svad-Iyams {tjS'lwv, suuv-ior) sweeter, svad-istha (t^S-io-to-s) besidesvad-li {rjh-v-s,suav-i-s) sweet (from svad be sweet).''-a. Beside the usual forms in iyams there occur abouthalf a dozen alternative comparatives made with the shorterform of the suffix, yams tav-yams (tav-iyams) stronger : ;nav-yams (nav-iyam-s) newer ; pan-yams (pan-iyams)more tvonderful, bhu-yams^ (bhav-iyams) becoming more,greater; rabh-yams (rabh-iyams) more violent; sah-yams(sah-iyams) stronger. Some half-dozen more have noalternative form beside them: jya-yams greater, older;pre-yams dearer, pr^-stha dearest (priya dear) ; vas-yamsbetter, vas-istha best (vasu good) ; sr6-yams {Kpdcov) Utter,sr6-stha best (sri be bright), san-yams (Lat. sen-ior) older(sana old),sthe-yams most steadfast (sthi-ra firm).h. Some comparatives and superlatives belong to theirpositives in sense only; e.g. kan-iyams " lesser, tjounger,kan-istha smallest * and kan-istha youngest (alpa small) ;n6d-iyams (Av. nazd-yali) nearer, n6d-istha (Av. nazdista)nearest (antika near), vars-iyams higher, vars-istha^highest (vrddha groivn up).1From the adj. pap^ had,i\\e radical element of which is uncertain,is formed direct the comparative pap-iyams in the TS.2Here the vowel remains unchanged. This is also the case in thecorresponding superlative bhu-y-istha, which moreover adds the suffixwith an intervening y.^Cp, kan-ya girl{= kania), Gk. /catvo-y (= Kavio-s).*Appears in this sense in the TS.^Cp. vars-man n., vars-mdn m. height.