ـترین

Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian [script needed] (-tar, comparative suffix) + Middle Persian [script needed] (-ēn, attributive identifying suffix). The superlative sense is not inherited from Middle Persian. Indeed, the modern distinction between comparative (-tar, “more”) and superlative (-tarin, “most”) did not exist in Early New Persian (late first millennium), when both forms could be used for both senses.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ta.ˈɾiːn/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.ɾíːn]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.ɾíːn]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.ɾín]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰæ.ɹíːn]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰä.ɾín]

Readings
Classical reading^?	tarīn
Dari reading^?	tarīn
Iranian reading^?	tarin
Tajik reading^?	tarin

Audio (Iran): (file)

Suffix


Iranian Persian	ترین
Dari	ترین
Tajik	-тарин

ـترین • (-tarin)

more; -est; a suffix forming the superlative degree of an adjective.
― javân > javân-tarin ― young > youngest

ânâkondâ-ye sabz sangin-tarin va bozorg-tarin gune-ye mâr-e jahân ast.
The green anaconda is the heaviest and biggest species of snake in the world.

Usage notes

Unlike those suffixed with (-tar), an adjective suffixed with (-tarin) precedes the attributed noun.

The (-tarin) form of the adjective cannot be used alone as a predicate. It must either be followed by a noun, or the synonymous construction (-tar az hame, literally “more than all [else]”) must be used.

Related terms

ـتر (-tar, “more”)

References

^ Mauro Maggi, Paola Orsatti (2018) “From Old to New Persian”, in The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics‎^[1]: “In Early New Persian, there is no clear distinction yet between the comparative and superlative functions of -tar and -tarīn respectively, as these may express both meanings.”

[1] Mauro Maggi, Paola Orsatti (2018) “From Old to New Persian”, in The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics‎^[1]: “In Early New Persian, there is no clear distinction yet between the comparative and superlative functions of -tar and -tarīn respectively, as these may express both meanings.”

[1]