These have no adjective positive:—­

1. [In] Inner Inmost, innermost
2. [Out] Outer, utter {Outmost, outermost
{Utmost, uttermost
3. [Up] Upper Upmost, uppermost

LIST III.

A few of comparative form but not comparative meaning:—­

After Over Under Nether

Remarks on Irregular Adjectives.

[Sidenote:  List I.]

164. (1) The word good has no comparative or superlative, but takes the place of a positive to better and best.  There was an old comparative bet, which has gone out of use; as in the sentence (14th century), “Ich singe bet than thu dest” (I sing better than thou dost).  The superlative I form was betst, which has softened to the modern best.

(2) In Old English, evil was the positive to worse, worst; but later bad and ill were borrowed from the Norse, and used as positives to the same comparative and superlative. Worser was once used, a double comparative; as in Shakespeare,—­

     O, throw away the worser part of it.—­HAMLET.

(3) Little is used as positive to less, least, though from a different root.  A double comparative, lesser, is often used; as,—­

     We have it in a much lesser degree.—­MATTHEW ARNOLD.

     Thrust the lesser half by main force into the fists of Ho-ti. 
     —­LAMB.

(4) The words much and many now express quantity; but in former times much was used in the sense of large, great, and was the same word that is found in the proverb, “Many a little makes a mickle.”  Its spelling has been micel, muchel, moche, much, the parallel form mickle being rarely used.

The meanings greater, greatest, are shown in such phrases as,—­

     The more part being of one mind, to England we
     sailed.—­KINGSLEY.

     The most part kept a stolid indifference.—­Id.

The latter, meaning the largest part, is quite common.

(5) The forms elder, eldest, are earlier than older, oldest.  A few other words with the vowel o had similar change in the comparative and superlative, as long, strong, etc.; but these have followed old by keeping the same vowel o in all the forms, instead of lenger, strenger, etc., the old forms.

(6) and (7) Both nigh and near seem regular in Modern English, except the form next; but originally the comparison was nigh, near, next.  In the same way the word high had in Middle English the superlative hexte.

By and by the comparative near was regarded as a positive form, and on it were built a double comparative nearer, and the superlative nearest, which adds _-est_ to what is really a comparative instead of a simple adjective.