last

last · adjective, determiner, adverb¹

1. Old English · inherited fromlatost
2. Middle English · inherited fromlaste
3. English todaylast

From Middle English laste, latst, syncopated variant of latest, both ultimately from Old English latost. Doublet of latest.

last · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*laistijaną
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*laistijan
3. Old English · derived fromlǣstan
4. Middle English · derived fromlasten
5. English todaylast

From Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan, from Proto-West Germanic *laistijan, from Proto-Germanic *laistijaną. Cognate with German leisten (“yield”).

last · noun, verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*leys-eh₂-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*laistiz
3. Old English · inherited fromlǣste“shoemaker‘s last”
4. Middle English · inherited fromlest
5. English todaylast

The noun is derived from Middle English lest, leste (“shoemaker’s model shaped like a foot, last”), from Old English lǣste (“shoemaker‘s last”), from Proto-Germanic *laistiz, from *laisǭ (“track, trail”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys-eh₂-, from *leys- (“to trace; to track”). Doublet of learn and lore. The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Dutch leest * German Leisten * Proto-Germanic *laistaz (“footprint”) * Swedish läst

last · noun⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kleh₂-“to put, lay out”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hlastuz“burden, load, freight”
3. Old English · derived fromhlæst“burden, load, freight”
4. Middle English · derived fromlast
5. English todaylast

From Middle English last, from Old English hlæst (“burden, load, freight”), from Proto-Germanic *hlastuz (“burden, load, freight”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”). Cognate with West Frisian lêst, Dutch last, German Last, Swedish last, Icelandic lest.

Last · proper noun⁵

1. German · borrowed fromLast
2. English todayLast

Various origins: * English metonymic occupational surname for a cobbler, from last (“a tool for shaping shoes”). Compare Laster. * Also as an English surname, from the adjective last. * Borrowed from Dutch and German Last, an occupational surname for a porter (see the German entry below).

Words from the same roots