peior
See also: pejor
Latin
Alternative forms
- pejor
Etymology
Probably from Proto-Indo-European *ped-yōs (“to the ground, downward”), from *ped- (“to walk, fall, stumble”); compare pessimus (“worst”). Michiel de Vaan notes that a similar phonetic change *[dj]/[jd] > *[j] can be observed in the etymology of caelum (“chisel”) and caia (“cudgel”) from Proto-Italic *kaid(s)lo- and *kaidjā- respectively. Cognate to pēs, pessum.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈpei̯.i̯or/, [ˈpɛi̯ːɔr]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈpe.jor/, [ˈpɛːjor]
Adjective
peior (neuter peius); third declension
- comparative degree of malus; worse
- Synonym: deterior, nequior
Declension
Third-declension comparative adjective.
Number | Singular | Plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case / Gender | Masc./Fem. | Neuter | Masc./Fem. | Neuter | |
Nominative | peior | peius | peiōrēs | peiōra | |
Genitive | peiōris | peiōrum | |||
Dative | peiōrī | peiōribus | |||
Accusative | peiōrem | peius | peiōrēs | peiōra | |
Ablative | peiōre | peiōribus | |||
Vocative | peior | peius | peiōrēs | peiōra |
Antonyms
- melior
Derived terms
- peiōrō
Descendants
- Catalan: pitjor
- French: pire
- Galician: peor
- Italian: peggiore
- Occitan: pièger
- Portuguese: pior
- Romansch: pêr
- Spanish: peor
- → English: pejorative
See also
- pessimus (superlative)
References
- “peior”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “peiior”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 455
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “pessum”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 463
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “caedō, -ere”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 79–80
Old French
Alternative forms
alternative forms
- paiour
- pegor
- pejur
- peor
- peur
- peour
- peiur
- peiour
- piour
- poiour
- peure
- pojor
Etymology
From Latin pēiōrem, accusative singular of pēior. The nominative form, pire (whence modern French pire) derives from the Latin nominative.
Adjective
peior (oblique singular, nominative singular pire)
- worse; comparative degree of mal
- circa 1180, Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot ou le Chevalier de la charrette:
- Qui peior que Sarrazin sont.
- Who are worse than Saracens.
-
- worst; superlative degree of mal
Declension
Declension of peior
Number | Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Subject | pire, pyre, piere, peior | peiore | pis |
Oblique | peior | peior | ||
Plural | Subject | peior | peiores | peior |
Oblique | peiors | peior |
Antonyms
- meillor (“best”)
Descendants
- French: pire (from nominative form)
References
- Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (peior, includes information on declension)
- peior on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub