Semantics of superlatives

In the realms of math and language there are two terms that point to the same idea, that of something being reiterated to take meaning to a higher level than before. In math that is the idea of exponents; in language it is the idea of superlative degree.

Good-Better-Best is maybe the most common example of a superlative. Good is the plain word. Better is the comparative degree between two items, and best is the superlative degree, meaning that it is the highest form from many parts of whatever is being compared. Bad-Worse-Worst is another common example. However, in many words, the comparative form of an adjective takes an -er on the end of it, the superlative an -est, such as large-larger-largest. For most multisyllabic words, more is the comparative marker, most is the superlative, as in beautiful-more beautiful-most beautiful.

Not all words are adjectives, so not all words can have a comparative or superlative degree. Only words that describe action or nouns can show superlatives. In some cases, there are stand-alone words that show superlative degree without having a comparaive degree or a regular word to derive itself from, such as the word favorite. Supposedly, a person can have only one favorite of the same object even though Americans many times use favorite in common usage to refer to more than one item.

I only bring this up because I was thinking about the use of the word love today. (I know love as a verb doesn't have a superlative, but I'm developing a new concept here). I hear it often from my mother and frequently from my daughter. And hopefully, that will stay intact. I hear the word love a lot in other contexts too, like "I love peanut butter and chocolate," and I love driving on the back roads of rural areas." So, since love is such a regular or generic term, perhaps there is a superlative form of love. So, looking around the language environment, I notice a word used for deities and very young children that just might serve the purpose. Women look at babies or young children and say how adorable they are, or they use the verb form and say that they adore those babies. The same word is used for deities to show a heightened form of respect (and love possibly).

I think if I were to ever hear the word adore used for me as an adult, I would notice its special and superlative character as if it is saying "special" to the third power in some particular way. I would, of course, want to respond in kind if I had used the more generic term previously with that person because of the high honor that is embedded in the word.