Translation
chiefly, above all; especially
Examples
faciam?
What above all am I to do?
elegerunt.
They chose this man in preference to all others.
.
I want to speak chiefly about the war.
?
Where above all ought we to go?
.
This above all was the reason.
Potissimum is the adverb of potissimus, a superlative built on the old adjective potis, "able" - a family whose positive degree has dropped out of ordinary use, leaving the comparative potior and the superlative standing on their own.
What it adds over praecipue and maxime is preference between named alternatives, so it is at its most natural in questions: quid potissimum, what above all, out of everything on offer. Potius, "rather", is the comparative of the same set and behaves the same way. Possum shares the root, though the connection is no longer felt.
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potissimum: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "potissimum" (chiefly, above all; especially): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 20.