letzt

Forms

letzt (adjective, used only with an inflectional ending: der letzte, ein letzter; uninflected only as a dated adverb)^[1][2] In Middle High German the contracted form lest prevailed, and it is still found in written sources until the end of the 15th century.^[3] Bavarian lest, lescht and Vorarlberg z'lescht “at last” continue it.^[3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle High German lezzist, contracted lest, inherited from Old High German lezzist, beside lazzōst, the superlative of the adjective that survives as lass “weary, slack” (laz), so that it first meant “the slowest, the most sluggish”.^[4][2][5] Paul thinks it first named the slowest member of a procession, the one who came last.^[6] The corresponding superlative is Old Saxon lazto, and Dutch laatst and English last are related; the English word comes from Old English latost, the superlative of læt (“slow, late”).^[4][2][3]

The modern form with ⟨tz⟩ is not the Upper German one.^[4][5] Kluge and the Duden trace it to the Low German form, which goes back to the Old Saxon word with early syncope and spread in the 15th century and replaced the contracted High German form;^[4][5] Paul finds it first around 1400 in Central German manuscripts and also derives it from Middle Low German.^[6] Pfeifer records the Central German form with ⟨z⟩ in the 14th century and then the one with an inserted /t/,^[2] and the Grimms' dictionary explains the /t/ as one that developed before the superlative suffix.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old High German leʒʒisto “last, extreme, youngest” is recorded in the Tatian (about 830) and in Notker.^[7][2] The adverbial phrase zi lezzist “at last, finally” appears in Otfrid (863–871), Notker and Otloh's prayer, always with the preposition zi.^[8][7][9]

Semantic evolution

From the last member of a series the word came to be used of any spatial and temporal order, and especially of the events before death: letzte Worte, letzte Ölung “extreme unction”, letzter Wille “last will”.^[6] Understood of what has just happened, it took on the sense “most recent”, as in letzten Sonntag.^[6] As an adverb, letzt meant “lately”, as in Goethe's Götz, but letzthin (17th century) has replaced it.^[6][2][1] It also expresses the highest degree: das Letzte aus sich herausholen “to give one's utmost”, and das ist doch das Letzte! “that's the limit!”.^[6][1]

Once letzt was no longer felt as a superlative, a comparative letzterer “the latter” was formed from it: around 1600 according to Pfeifer, in the 17th century according to the Duden.^[2][5] Paul notes that Lessing and Schiller still used it simply for “last”.^[6] Letztens, on the model of erstens and zweitens, and letztlich “in the end” date from the 16th century.^[2][5]

Timeline

• c. 830 – Old High German leʒʒisto is used in the Tatian.^[7]
• 863–871 – Otfrid has zi lezzist “at last”.^[8][7]
• 14th century – Central German lezt and then letzt are recorded.^[2]
• c. 1400 – The form with ⟨tz⟩ appears in Central German manuscripts.^[6]
• 15th century – The Low German form spreads and replaces lest in the written language.^[5][3]
• 16th century – letztens and letztlich are formed.^[2][5]
• c. 1600 – The comparative letzterer “the latter” appears.^[2][6]
• 17th century – letzthin “lately” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Coming at the end of a series, last: der letzte Zug nach Hamburg.^[1][10]
2. Remaining as the last of something: unsere letzten Vorräte.^[1]
3. (expressing the highest degree) utmost, extreme: mit letzter Anstrengung.^[1]
4. Lowest in rank or quality.^[1]
5. Most recent, immediately past: im letzten Sommer.^[1][6]

Adverb

1. (dated) lately, the last time.^[1][6]

Word family

• letzterer
• letztens
• letztlich
• letzthin
• zuletzt

Related words

• lass
• lässig
• English last

Usage notes

The phrase zu guter Letzt “finally, in the end” does not contain the adjective, but a feminine noun, Early New High German letze “farewell, farewell meal”, later associated with letzt.^[4][6][1] Kluge derives that noun from an old verb letzen “to refresh”, while the Duden dictionary connects it with letzen “to hinder, put an end to”.^[4][1] Paul quotes zu guter Letze from Blumauer (1784).^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Pfeifer, Wolfgang, et al. (1993), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 2nd ed., Berlin: Akademie-Verlag; digital revised version in the DWDS, dwds.de
3. ^ a b c d e Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 12, 809
4. ^ a b c d e f Kluge, Friedrich; Seebold, Elmar (2011), Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 25th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 573
5. ^ a b c d e f g Duden. Das Herkunftswörterbuch: Etymologie der deutschen Sprache (2020), 6th ed., Duden vol. 7, Berlin: Dudenverlag
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Paul, Hermann (2002), Deutsches Wörterbuch: Bedeutungsgeschichte und Aufbau unseres Wortschatzes, 10th ed., ed. Helmut Henne, Heidrun Kämper and Georg Objartel, Tübingen: Niemeyer
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 6th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
8. ^ a b Schützeichel, Rudolf (2012), Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, 7th ed., Berlin / Boston: De Gruyter, p. 199
9. ^ Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch (1952–), founded by Elisabeth Karg-Gasterstädt and Theodor Frings, Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag / De Gruyter; online awb.saw-leipzig.de, p. 5, 872
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org