Etymology

most

M3O1S1T1

Today it means: Forms the superlative of many adjectives. Full definition →

Middle English most ← Old English mǣst ← Proto-West Germanic *maist
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most · determiner, adverb, adjective, pronoun, noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*meh₂-
  2. Proto-Germanic*maiz
  3. Proto-Germanic*maistaz
  4. Proto-Germanic*maist
  5. Proto-West Germanic*maist
  6. Old Englishmǣst
  7. Middle Englishmost
  8. English todaymost

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”).

most · adverb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂elnós
  3. Proto-Germanic*allaz
  4. Proto-Germanic*ala-
  5. Proto-West Germanic*ala-
  6. Old Englishæl-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*meh₂-
  8. Proto-Germanic*maiz
  9. Proto-Germanic*maistaz
  10. Proto-Germanic*maist
  11. Proto-West Germanic*maist
  12. Old Englishmǣst
  13. Old Englisheallmǣst
  14. Middle Englishalmost
  15. Englishalmostclip.
  16. English todaymost

Clipping of almost.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.