adjectivefirst/second declension
cārissimus
cārissimus (superlative, feminine cārissima, neuter cārissimum)
Classical[kaːˈrɪs.sɪ.mʊs]Ecclesiastical[kaˈris.si.mus]
Meaning
- superlativesuperlative degree of cārus
- superlativeused in terms of endearment
Ut dicta autem quaedam, ita scrīpta quoque fingī solent, quod facit Asinius prō Liburniā: "māter mea, quae mihi cum cārissima tum dulcissima fuit […]"
Just as certain speeches, writings are also sometimes imaginary, as for example Asinius does in his defence of Liburnia, "my mother, who was my dearest and most beloved […] "c. 95 CE, Quintilianus, Institutio oratoria 9.2.34propterea, carissimi, ... putamus vos libentius scire velle quam nescire
therefore, my esteemed listeners, ... I think that you all prefer to know than not to know747 CE, Boniface, Epistulae 78 (quoted by Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | cārissimus | cārissima | cārissimum |
| genitive | cārissimī | cārissimae | cārissimī |
| dative | cārissimō | cārissimae | cārissimō |
| accusative | cārissimum | cārissimam | cārissimum |
| ablative | cārissimō | cārissimā | cārissimō |
| vocative | cārissime | cārissima | cārissimum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | cārissimī | cārissimae | cārissima |
| genitive | cārissimōrum | cārissimārum | cārissimōrum |
| dative | cārissimīs | cārissimīs | cārissimīs |
| accusative | cārissimōs | cārissimās | cārissima |
| ablative | cārissimīs | cārissimīs | cārissimīs |
| vocative | cārissimī | cārissimae | cārissima |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- pater optime or carissime, mi pater (vid. sect. XII. 10)
- my dear father.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*keh₂-
- Proto-Italic*kāros
- Latincārissimus
Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *-(t)m̥mos Proto-Indo-European *-is(t)m̥mós Proto-Italic *-isəmos Latin -issimus Latin cārissimus From carus + -issimus.