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acon. (3.) Though we never employ as separate words the comparatives _norther, souther, easter, wester_, we have _northerly, southerly, easterly_, and westerly, which seem to have been formed from such comparatives, by adding _ly_; and these four may be compared by the adverbs more and most, or less and _least_: as, "These hills give us a view of the _most easterly, southerly_, and westerly parts of England."--GRAUNT: _in Joh. Dict._ (4.) From these supposed comparatives likewise, some authors form the superlatives _northermost, southermost, eastermost_, and _westermost_; as, "From the westermost part of Oyster bay."--_Dr. Webster's Hist. U. S._, p. 126. "And three miles southward of the southermost part of said bay."--_Trumbull's Hist. of Amer._, Vol. i, p. 88. "Pockanocket was on the westermost line of Plymouth Colony."--_Ib._, p. 44. "As far as the northermost branch of the said bay or river."--_Ib._, p. 127. The propriety of these is at least questionable; and, as they are neither very necessary to the language, nor recognized by any of our lexicographers, I forbear to approve them. (5.) From the four primitives we have also a third series of positives, ending in _ern_; as, _northern, southern, eastern, western_. These, though they have no comparatives of their own, not only form superlatives by assuming the termination most, but are sometimes compared, perhaps in both degrees, by a separate use of the adverbs: as, "_Southernmost, a_. Furthest towards the south."--_Webster's Dict._ "Until it shall intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude."--Articles of Peace. "To the _north-westernmost_ head of Connecticut river."--_Ib._ "Thence through the said lake to the _most north-western_ point thereof."--_Ib._
OBS. 4.--It may be remarked of the comparatives former and latter or _hinder, upper_ and under or _nether, inner_ and outer < previous next >