English
level best
/ˌlɛvl̩ ˈbɛst/
The very best that one can do.
Etymology graph
- inherited
- borrowed
- derived
- parts
- meaning component
- sound component
- related
Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it
Origin
From level (“well balanced; even, steady”) + best.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lineage
- partEnglishlevel “The same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground.”
- inheritedMiddle Englishlevel
- borrowedOld Frenchlivel
- inheritedMiddle Englishlevel
- partEnglishbest “Most; largest.”
- suffixEnglish-y “Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving…”
- inheritedMiddle English-y
- inheritedMiddle Englishbest
- inheritedOld Englishbezt
- suffixEnglish-y “Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving…”