Summary: You've wanted the longest time for the return of the WOW. Well, wait no more, my biggest fan. This post—and its special word, superlative—is for you!
After posting relatively recently about the BEST WORD IN THE WORLD (hyperbole, of course), I've found myself drawn to some of its cousins—like today's featured word, superlative.
Superlative (soo - PUHR - la - TIV) - (adj.) excessive; supreme; surpassing; high quality; exaggerated. Most commonly, it refers to other words that are used to describe something with these qualities. You could say that it falls just shy of hyperbole.
First used in English in the 1300s, its Middle English spelling was superlatif. Its heritage comes most immediately from the Anglo-French word superlativus, which derives from the Latin superlatus, meaning to carry over high. Merriam-Webster.com—my favorite online dictionary, and the site I owe thanks to for regular pronunciation links like the one above—cites the following examples of superlatives: nicest, worst, and most interesting.
And did I mention: If you've missed the WOW Word of the Week posts as much as I have over the last couple of weeks, then you're the absolute coolest person I know? Those superlatives aren't just hyperbole, either.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2011
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