mæst
Old English edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Proto-West Germanic *maist, from Proto-Germanic *maistaz and *maist.
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
mǣst
- superlative degree of miċel, fela, and maniġ: biggest, most
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
- Mǣst manna nū onhyreþ nēatum on þām þæt hīe wilniaþ weoroldlusta swā swā nīetenu.
- Most people now resemble animals in that they desire worldly pleasures like animals do.
- late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy
Usage notes edit
- When used with a countable noun, mǣst occurs in the singular, with the noun it describes in the genitive case: Mǣst manna is medume (“Most people are average,” literally “Most of people is average”).
- When it's used to mean “the most/the largest amount,” mǣst occurs without the word “the”: Hīe flīton hwelċ cynn hæbbe mǣst gold (“They were arguing over which race has the most gold”), Hīe woldon ġesēon hwæðer hæfde mǣst bearna (“They wanted to see who would have the most children”).
- When it means “biggest,” it's used like any other adjective and neither of the above rules apply.
Declension edit
Declension of mǣst — Strong
Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
---|---|---|---|
Nominative | mǣst | mǣst | mǣst |
Accusative | mǣstne | mǣste | mǣst |
Genitive | mǣstes | mǣstre | mǣstes |
Dative | mǣstum | mǣstre | mǣstum |
Instrumental | mǣste | mǣstre | mǣste |
Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
Nominative | mǣste | mǣsta, mǣste | mǣst |
Accusative | mǣste | mǣsta, mǣste | mǣst |
Genitive | mǣstra | mǣstra | mǣstra |
Dative | mǣstum | mǣstum | mǣstum |
Instrumental | mǣstum | mǣstum | mǣstum |
Declension of mǣst — Weak
Descendants edit
Adverb edit
mǣst
- superlative degree of miċele and swīþe: most
Usage notes edit
- Swīðost is often used instead of mǣst adverbially: sē cniht þe hē swīðost lufode (“the boy that he most loved”). In addition, neither mǣst nor swīðost is used to form the superlative of adjectives or adverbs. Instead, the suffix -ost or -est is used: hīwcūþ (“familiar”) → hīwcūþost (“most familiar”).
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Proto-Germanic *mastaz. Cognate with Middle Dutch mast (Dutch mast), Old High German mast (German Mast).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mæst m
- mast (of ship)
Declension edit
Declension of mæst (strong a-stem)
Descendants edit
Etymology 3 edit
From Proto-Germanic *mastaz, from Proto-Indo-European *mad(z)do-. Cognate with Middle Dutch mast, Old High German mast (German Mast); and related to Latin madere (“to be wet”) and Old English mete (“food”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mæst m
- mast (forest nuts, often used to feed pigs)
Declension edit
Declension of mæst (strong a-stem)
Derived terms edit
- mæstan (“to fatten”)
Descendants edit
- English: mast