most

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English most, earlier also mest and mast,^[2][3] inherited from Old English māst, also mǣst,^[4][5][3] from Proto-Germanic *maistaz,^[6][7] a superlative formed on the base of *maiz, the source of mā, māra and more.^[6][8][4] It is cognate with Old Frisian māst, Old Saxon mēst, Dutch meest, Old High German meist, German meist, Old Norse mestr and Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (maists).^[4][5][7] Barnhart gives the Indo-European form as *məistos,^[5] and the American Heritage Dictionary and Köbler trace the base to Proto-Indo-European *mē- (“large, considerable”).^[9][10] The OED explains māst, recorded only in Northumbrian, as the normal development of the Germanic form, and calls the vowel of the usual mǣst unusual, perhaps formed by analogy with lǣst; the southern reflex of that form lasted until the 15th century, and most probably spread from the north through the influence of mo and of the comparative.^[4] In Old English the word served as the superlative of micel (“great, large”),^[6][11] and so later of much and many.^[6][12] The adverb meaning "almost" is a shortening of almost.^[9][3][13] The American Heritage Dictionary takes the suffix -most as an alteration of -mest under the influence of this word.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Greatest in number, amount or extent, as mǣst before 725, in Barnhart's dating.^[5] The OED's early Old English quotations, from the translations of Orosius and Bede, have it for greatest in degree or extent and for a person greatest in power or importance.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The original sense "greatest", used of size until 1633 and of degree until 1702, has died out,^[4] except in for the most part, recorded from before 1387.^[4][6][14] Modifying a plural noun, the word meant "the majority of" from early Old English.^[4] It was an adverb in Old English,^[6][5] and in late Old English also a noun, "the greatest or greater number".^[6] Make the most of, with the sense of greatest value or advantage, appears by the 1520s.^[6] From the 15th to the 17th century English also had mostwhat "for the most part", mostwhen "on most occasions" and mostwhere "in most places".^[6] Bacon could still write that "states are most collected into monarchies", with the adverb meaning "for the most part".^[3] Johnson (1755) noted that the word was singular or plural according to its meaning.^[15] In the dialects of Scotland and England it was used redundantly with superlatives, as in the most sweetest in West Yorkshire,^[16] and most times, usually, was current in the south of England.^[16] The double superlative mostest is recorded by 1849 in the American South and in African-American vernacular.^[6] The slang the most, the best or most exciting, is American and dates from 1953.^[6][17]

Timeline

• before 725 – mǣst, greatest in number, amount or extent.^[5]
• 893 – adverb, in or to the greatest degree.^[5] In the same year's annal of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, modifying a plural noun: the majority of.^[4]
• late Old English – noun, the greatest or greater number.^[6] Merriam-Webster dates the noun to the 12th century and the pronoun to the 13th.^[3]
• c. 1175 – the form mest;^[5] of a thing, chief or main, in the Ormulum.^[4]
• before 1250 – the form moste, most.^[5]
• before 1387 – for the most part, generally.^[4] Etymonline dates the phrase to the mid-14th century.^[6]
• 14th century – the greatest amount of.^[8]
• 1520s – make the most of.^[6]
• c. 1538 – adverb, almost.^[3]
• 1849 – mostest, greatest amount or degree.^[6]
• 1953 – slang, the most, the best.^[6][17]

Meanings

Determiner

1. The greater number or part of; nearly all: Most drivers on this road know the bend.^[18][3][4]
2. the most: the greatest in number, quantity or degree, as the superlative of many and much: Her team scored the most points.^[18][3][9]
3. for the most part: mainly, generally.^[18][4]
4. (dialect) Chief, main.^[3][4][16]
5. (obsolete, Old English–1702) Greatest in degree.^[4][3]
6. (obsolete, Old English–1633) Greatest in size or extent.^[4][2]

Pronoun

1. The greater number or part; the majority: Some guests left early, but most stayed.^[18][3][9]
2. The greatest amount or degree: Ten pounds is the most I can lend you.^[18][3]
3. at most, at the most: at the maximum.^[18][3]
4. make the most of: to use to the best advantage.^[18][6]
5. (slang) the most: the best or most exciting person or thing.^[9][17][6]

Adverb

1. To the greatest degree, often forming the superlative of adjectives and adverbs: the most careful driver.^[3]
2. To a very great degree: a most helpful answer.^[3]
3. (informal) Almost, before words such as all, every, any, everyone and anywhere: Most everybody on our street knows her.^[3][9][13]

Word family

• -most
• foremost
• hindmost
• innermost
• mostly
• outermost
• rearmost

Related words

• more
• almost
• mo
• much
• many
• mickle
• mostest

Usage notes

The adverb most meaning "almost" is not recent and not an Americanism: it goes back to the 16th century in England, where it now survives chiefly in dialect.^[13] In American English it stands before words such as all, every, any, everyone and anywhere.^[13][3] Some people object to it in every case, but it is common in speech and, to a lesser extent, in writing.^[3][13]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
8. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
10. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
11. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
12. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
13. ^ a b c d e Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
14. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
15. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
16. ^ a b c Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
17. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
18. ^ a b c d e f g Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins