-ebb

See also: ebb

Hungarian

Etymology

From -e- (linking vowel) +‎ -bb (comparative suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛbː]
• Rhymes: -ɛbː

Suffix

-ebb

1. (comparative suffix) -er, more (added to adjectives and certain adverbs to form the comparative)

   ‎hideg (“cold”) + ‎-ebb → ‎hidegebb (“colder”)

   ‎közel (“near”) + ‎-ebb → ‎közelebb (“'nearer”) (adverb)

   ‎csendesen (“silently”) + ‎-ebb → ‎csendesebben (“more silently”)

Usage notes

• (comparative suffix) Variants:

  -b is added to some words ending in a consonant; an archaic variant

  ‎idős (“elderly”) + ‎-b → ‎idősb (“senior”) (the modern comparative is idősebb)

  -bb is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.

  ‎drága (“expensive”) + ‎-bb → ‎drágább (“more expensive”)

  ‎fekete (“black”) + ‎-bb → ‎feketébb (“blacker”)

  -abb is added to most back-vowel words ending in a consonant

  ‎fiatal (“young”) + ‎-abb → ‎fiatalabb (“younger”)

  -obb is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant

  ‎nagy (“big”) + ‎-obb → ‎nagyobb (“bigger”)

  -ebb is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant

  ‎öreg (“old”) + ‎-ebb → ‎öregebb (“older”)

Aside from the literal, relative sense, the comparative in Hungarian can also have an absolute sense, e.g. nagyobb is not necessarily “larger” but also “somewhat large”, “fairly large”, “largish”, “a little on the large side” (but not truly large). This sense is already lexicalized in the case of több, which doesn’t only mean “more” but also “several, multiple” (though not “many”).

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	-ebb	-ebbek
accusative	-ebbet	-ebbeket
dative	-ebbnek	-ebbeknek
instrumental	-ebbel	-ebbekkel
causal-final	-ebbért	-ebbekért
translative	-ebbé	-ebbekké
terminative	-ebbig	-ebbekig
essive-formal	-ebbként	-ebbekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	-ebben	-ebbekben
superessive	-ebben	-ebbeken
adessive	-ebbnél	-ebbeknél
illative	-ebbe	-ebbekbe
sublative	-ebbre	-ebbekre
allative	-ebbhez	-ebbekhez
elative	-ebből	-ebbekből
delative	-ebbről	-ebbekről
ablative	-ebbtől	-ebbektől
non-attributive possessive – singular	-ebbé	-ebbeké
non-attributive possessive – plural	-ebbéi	-ebbekéi

Derived terms

• Category:Hungarian comparative adjectives

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes