Phatter

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Slang describing something that is more impressive, stylish, or excellent than another thing being compared
2. Used informally to say that one thing is cooler, finer, or more impressive than something else
3. Comparative slang meaning more striking, stylish, or outstanding than the other item under consideration

Etymology: "Phatter" is the comparative of "phat," so it simply means more phat: cooler, more impressive, or more admired than something else. Its base word began as a deliberate misspelling of "fat." Writers swapped the "f" and "ph" spelling, a playful respelling that sounded like the original, a habit common in African American Vernacular English. The respelling carried a shift in meaning. "Fat" in its old sense of plump or well-off became, in slang, something that was excellent or stylish, and "phat" took on that slang sense while keeping a visibly different spelling that marked it as informal. Adding the comparative ending "-ter" to the existing adjective "phat" follows ordinary English grammar, so "phatter" needed no separate invention.

Synonyms: cooler, finer