English

most

/ˈməʊst/
Forms the superlative of many adjectives.

    Etymology graph

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    Origin

    From Middle English most, moste, from Old English mǣst, māst, from Proto-Germanic *maistaz, *maist. Cognate with Scots mast, maist (“most”), Saterland Frisian maast (“most”), West Frisian meast (“most”), Dutch meest (“most”), German meist (“most”), Danish and Swedish mest (“most”), Icelandic mestur (“most”).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishmost
      • inheritedOld Englishmǣst “mast”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*maist
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*maist
            • derivedProto-Germanic*maistaz
              • derivedProto-Germanic*maiz
                • derivedProto-Indo-European*meh₂- “to nurse; mama, mother”

    Related: Scots mast, Saterland Frisian maast, West Frisian meast, Dutch meest, German meist, Swedish mest, Icelandic mestur

    Sources