Concept

Augmentative

Summary
An augmentative (abbreviated ) is a morphological form of a word which expresses greater intensity, often in size but also in other attributes. It is the opposite of a diminutive. Overaugmenting something often makes it grotesque and so in some languages, augmentatives are used primarily for comical effect or as pejoratives. Many languages have augmentatives for nouns, and some have augmentatives for verbs. In modern English, augmentatives can be created with the prefixes: over-: e.g., overlord and overqualified. grand-: e.g., grandmaster and grandparent. super-: e.g., supermarket and superpower. mega-: e.g., megastore and megastar. arch-: e.g., archrival and archangel. Since the early 1990s, the prefix über- or uber- has also frequently been used as a borrowing from German. The suffix -zilla, expressing a monstrous quality, can also be considered an augmentative form. In some parts of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the prefix "auld" is used as an augmentative, and a pejorative in some cases. An example of this is using "auld'un" or "auld one" to describe one's parents/grandparents. In modern Dutch, as in English, augmentatives are usually created with the prefixes: over-: e.g., overgewicht and oververhitting ("overweight" and "overheating") groot-: e.g., grootmeester and groothandel ("grandmaster" and "wholesaler") super-: e.g., supermarkt and supermacht ("supermarket" and "superpower"). mega-: e.g., megacontract and megabioscoop ("a very big contract" and "a very large movie theater") There are also prefixes that can be used for some adjectives: bloed- (blood) : e.g., bloedmooi and bloedeigen ("very beautiful" and "very own") steen- (stone): e.g., steenrijk and steengoed ("very rich" and "very good"; lit. "stone rich" and "stone good") kei- (boulder): e.g., keihard and keileuk ("very fast/hard/etc." and "very fun", lit. "boulder hard" and "boulder fun") In German, there are different ways to build augmentatives. They are rarely used prefixes: un-, for instance in Unzahl "huge number", Unsumme "huge sum", Unmenge "huge quantity".
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Related concepts (2)
Comparison (grammar)
Comparison is a feature in the morphology or syntax of some languages whereby adjectives and adverbs are rendered in an inflected or periphrastic way to indicate a comparative degree, property, quality, or quantity of a corresponding word, phrase, or clause. A superlative construction expresses the greatest quality, quantity, or degree relative to all other comparators. The associated is degree of comparison.
Diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A diminutive form (abbreviated ) is a word-formation device used to express such meanings. In many languages, diminutives are word forms that are formed from the root word by affixation. In most languages, diminutives can also be formed as multi-word constructions such as "Tiny Tim", or "Little Dorrit".