-st
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle English -st; see -est.
Suffix edit
-st
- (archaic) Verb suffix for the second-person singular; Alternative form of -est
- c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:
- Thou com'st to use thy tongue.
Etymology 2 edit
From the written form of first; see further etymology there.
Suffix edit
-st
- Marks ordinals written in digits when the final term of the spelled number is "first"
- the 21st century
Coordinate terms edit
Translations edit
Etymology 3 edit
-s + -t of excrescent suffixes, with -s sometimes genitive.
Suffix edit
-st
- Excrescent suffix (adding sound but largely not changing the meaning).
Usage notes edit
When there is a shorter synonymous word (as in amongst/among), the form with -st is generally considered more formal, old-fashioned or affected in American English; whereas both are usually interchangeable in British English.
However, against is distinct in meaning from again, and midst is used in some contexts distinctly from mid.
Derived terms edit
Anagrams edit
Dutch edit
Etymology 1 edit
The suffix -st consists of two parts: a suffix -t (Proto-Indo-European *-ti) and an inserted -s-. The -s- is the result of a wrong segmentation of stem and suffix of a noun in cases where the stem of the noun ended with -s-. For example: a word like Dutch vorst (“frost”) could be interpreted as vors+t or as vor+st. This suffix existed already in Gothic (𐌰𐌽𐍃𐍄𐍃 (ansts), from 𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (unnan)).[1]
Suffix edit
-st f (plural -sten)
- appended to the stem of a verb, this suffix yields a verbal noun; it is similar in function to the Dutch suffix -ing
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix edit
-st
- appended to an adjective this suffix forms the superlative
References edit
Estonian edit
Suffix edit
-st
Faroese edit
Etymology edit
Old Norse -sk, reduced form of the reflexive pronoun sik (whence Faroese seg).
Suffix edit
-st
- turns verbs into middle voice verbs
Derived terms edit
German edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle High German -est, from older -es through rebracketing in inverted forms like sizzes du → sizzestu → sizzest du (“do you sit”). Further from a merger of various Old High German conjugation suffixes, from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European.
Pronunciation edit
- IPA(key): /st/ (standard)
- IPA(key): /t/ (alternatively after -sch-)
- IPA(key): /s/ (central-western Germany, chiefly informal)
- IPA(key): /ʃ/ (south-western Germany and Switzerland, chiefly informal)
Suffix edit
-st
- Verb suffix for the second-person singular.
Usage notes edit
- In the present tense, the suffix becomes -t after s, ß, x, z: du schießt. After sch the spelling -t is standard only in Austria and South Tyrol, but the according pronunciation is common in most regions: du wäschst or wäscht.
- The suffix becomes -est after d, t: du wartest. However, strong verbs with a vowel change have -st: du rätst. In obsolete usage the form -est was employed more freely also after other sounds.
- In the strong past tense, -est is used after sibilants: du schossest. However, when the preceding vowel is long the form -t is possible alternatively: du aßest or aßt. After d, t the forms -est and -st are used in free variation: du rittest or rittst.
Etymology 2 edit
From Middle High German -est, from a merger of Old High German -ist and -ōst, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz and *-ōstaz.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-st
- Forms superlatives of adjectives and adverbs, sometimes triggering umlaut.
- klein (“small”) + -st → der kleinste (“the smallest”)
- lang (“long”) + -st → der längste (“the longest”)
- herzlich (“cordially”) + -st → am herzlichsten (“most cordially”)
- schleunig (“speedily”) + -st → schleunigst (“straight away”)
Usage notes edit
- Attributive superlatives are declined like other adjectives. Predicative and adverbial superlatives generally take the particle am before them and are accordingly declined in the neuter dative singular. Some adjectives/adverbs also have basic forms in -st, but these are generally lexicalised.
- The suffix becomes -est after sibilants s, sch, ß, x, z and after d, t when the adjective has final stress: der kürzeste, weiteste (though der kürzte, weitste may be heard colloquially and the same is standard in der größte). When the last vowel is /ə/ or unstressed /ɪ/ the short form is used: der geeignetste, sympathischste. After other unstressed vowels both ways are possible: der elendeste or elendste.
- The forms -st and -est are also both possible after stressed final vowels and after consonant clusters (except those involving -r-). Thus: der neueste or neuste, der schlankeste or schlankste. The formal language prefers the long forms while the vernacular prefer the short ones.
Derived terms edit
Hungarian edit
Etymology edit
From -s (adjective-forming suffix) + -t (locative suffix) in the Old Hungarian period. The adverbial sense of the locative suffix -t can be shown only in this -st morpheme.[1]
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-st
- (adverb-forming suffix) Forms an adverb of manner.
Usage notes edit
- (adverb-forming suffix) Variants:
- It is no longer productive and can be found only in a few adverbs: bízvást, egyenest, fogvást, folyvást, folyton-folyvást, homlokegyenest, képest, mármost, mihelyst, most, nézvést, oldalvást, óvást, örömest, rögvest, szemlátomást, üstöllést, valamelyest, vegyest.[2]
Derived terms edit
References edit
- ^ -st in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN. (See also its 2nd edition.)
- ^ Papp, Ferenc (ed.). A magyar nyelv szóvégmutató szótára (’Reverse-Alphabetized Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, p. 495.
Icelandic edit
Etymology edit
From Old Norse -sk, reduced form of the reflexive pronoun sik (whence Icelandic sig).
Suffix edit
-st
- turns verbs into middle voice verbs
Derived terms edit
See also edit
Ingrian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Uncertain:
- Possibly identical to the elative marker (see below), exhibiting an archaic function of the elative, found also in archaic or dialectal Finnish -sta.
- Alternatively, from Proto-Finnic *-stik, reanalysed as identical to the elative marker after vowel reduction. In this case akin to Finnish -sti and Estonian -sti.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-st
- Used to form adverbs of manner from adjectives; -ly
Usage notes edit
- In the Soikkola dialect, may trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Proto-Finnic *-sta. Cognates include Finnish -sta and Estonian -st.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-st
- Used to form the elative case; out of
Usage notes edit
- In the Soikkola dialect, may trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.
Inflection edit
Possessive forms of -st | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | singular | plural |
1st person | -staan | -stamme |
2nd person | -staas | -stanne |
3rd person | -staa | -stasse |
References edit
- V. I. Junus (1936) Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka[1], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 43
Luxembourgish edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German -est, from Old High German -ist, -ōst, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz, *-ōstaz.
The expected form would be -scht as still in bescht (“best”) and meescht (“most”). The form -st is native in the northern third of Luxembourg and spread southwards, probably in part because the suffix is used in positions where /ʃ/ otherwise does not occur, and in part under the reinforcing influence of standard German.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-st
- Forms the superlative of adjectives; -est
Middle Dutch edit
Etymology edit
From Old Dutch -ist, -ost, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz, *-ōstaz.
Suffix edit
-st
- Forms the superlative of adjectives; -est
Derived terms edit
See Category:Middle Dutch adjective superlative forms.
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
- Dutch: -st