sterkst

Sterkst is a nonstandard or historical inflected form of the Dutch adjective sterk, meaning strong. In contemporary standard Dutch, the usual comparative and superlative forms are sterker and sterkste, while sterkst does not belong to the everyday standard repertoire. The form sterkst has been observed only in limited dialect inscriptions or older texts and is not widely used in modern written Dutch.

Etymology and usage context

Sterkst is thought to arise from the same Germanic root as sterk, with regional or historical variation in how superlatives were formed. In some dialects or early modern texts, speakers and writers experimented with forms that resemble sterkst as a potential superlative or emphatic variant. Because dialectal spellings were less standardized, attestations are sparse and contexts vary.

Distribution and examples

Evidence for sterkst is scarce and typically found in regional dictionaries, philological notes, or quotations from historical prose. When it appears, sterkst is generally interpreted as a nonstandard or archaic counterpart to the standard sterkste (the strongest) or as an adverbial form in specific dialectal constructions. A representative, but non-authoritative, dialect example might read: “Hy is de sterkst fan ús.” Such usages are not recommended for contemporary formal Dutch.

Pronunciation and grammar

A rough pronunciation would place sterkst near [ˈstɛrkst], but exact articulation depends on the dialect. Grammatically, sterkst is not treated as a productive modern form in standard Dutch and is primarily of historical or regional interest.

See also

Sterk, Sterker, Sterkste, Dutch dialects, historical Dutch orthography.