Etymologically
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best

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Pronunciation

Forms

best[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch best, inherited from Old Dutch betist, inherited from Proto-Germanic *batistaz (“best”), the superlative with the suffix *-istaz of the root *bat- (“good”), which also gave beter, bet- and baten.[2][3][1] It serves as the superlative of goed, a word of another root.[4][1] The Dutch form must at first have been ⟨*betst⟩, which became the present form by assimilation.[2][5]

The same word is Old Saxon betst (also ⟨best⟩), Old High German bezzist (modern German beste), Old Frisian best (modern West Frisian bêst), Old English betst (modern English best), Old Norse beztr and Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (batists).[2][6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old Dutch bezzest appears in the Egmond Williram of about 1100, in sie stinchende mit then bezzesten saluon, “they smelling of the best ointments”, and Sin hoiued is aller golde bezzesta, “his head is the best of all gold”.[3][7] Middle Dutch best is found from 1201 in the Lower Rhine area, and in Ghent in 1236.[4][2][8]

Semantic evolution

Used on its own, (het) best gradually lost the idea of a comparison with lesser things, so that it came to mean simply “(very) good”.[2] Weakened further, it became a particle that recommends what is said, as in the 17th-century best gun ick Holland vrede, “I quite grant Holland peace”.[2][9] In the adverb of ik zag best wat hij bedoelde (1866), “I saw well enough what he meant”, little of the superlative remains, and in best moeilijk, “quite hard”, the meaning has shifted to “rather”, probably after cases like best mogelijk, where “well possible” slid into “quite possible”.[2][9]

The form of address beste, “dear”, is old: a letter of 1785 hopes that myne Beste is well.[9][7] Middle Dutch already had sijn beste doen, to do one's best.[10] The idiom zijn beste beentje voorzetten, to put one's best foot forward, had 18th-century variants such as het beste beentje vooruitsteken.[11]

The word spread to the creoles: Negerhollands best, Berbice Dutch besti, Papiamentu bèst “great effort” and Sranan besi, the last two from Dutch or English.[12][1] Afrikaans has beste.[12][1]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Old Dutch bezzest “best” in the Egmond Williram.[3]
  • 1201 – Middle Dutch best in the Lower Rhine area.[4]
  • 1236 – Best in a Ghent text.[2][8]
  • 17th century – Best as a particle of recommendation.[2][9]
  • 1785 – Myne Beste as a form of address.[9]
  • 1866 – The adverb best “well enough”.[2][9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. best, the superlative of goed.[13][1]
  2. Good, fine, excellent: een bovenste beste, a thoroughly good person.[13][1]
  3. dear, in forms of address: Beste Anna, Dear Anna.[13][7]

Adverb

  1. Best, most: dat vind ik het best, I like that best.[13][1]
  2. Very well, perfectly well: dat weet je best, you know that perfectly well.[2][7]
  3. quite, rather: best lastig, quite difficult.[1][7]
  4. Fine, all right, expressing agreement.[7][9]

Word family

  • bestwil
  • allerbest
  • opperbest
  • paasbest
  • bestemoer
  • bestevaar

Usage notes

Zijn best doen is to do one's best, and de eerste de beste means just anyone.[13] A separate best or bes, usually in the diminutive bestje, meant “grandmother”, later “old woman” (1620); it is short for bestemoeder.[9][14] The town of Best in North Brabant, first recorded in 1307, has a name of unknown origin.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2003–2009), Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands, 4 vols., Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; online via etymologiebank.nl
  3. ^ a b c Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
  4. ^ a b c Pijnenburg, W. J. J., et al. (2001), Vroegmiddelnederlands woordenboek: woordenboek van het Nederlands van de dertiende eeuw in hoofdzaak op basis van het Corpus-Gysseling, Leiden: Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie; gtb.ivdnt.org
  5. ^ a b Vercoullie, Jozef (1925), Beknopt etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 3rd ed., 's-Gravenhage / Gent: Nijhoff / Van Rysselberghe & Rombaut
  6. ^ Vries, Jan de (1971), Nederlands etymologisch woordenboek, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e f WikiWoordenboek (Dutch Wiktionary), nl.wiktionary.org
  8. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2001), Chronologisch woordenboek: de ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen, Amsterdam / Antwerpen: Veen
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Vries, Matthias de; Winkel, L. A. te, et al. (1882–1998), Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 29 vols., 's-Gravenhage / Leiden: Nijhoff / Sijthoff / SDU; supplement 2001; gtb.ivdnt.org
  10. ^ Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
  11. ^ Stoett, F. A. (1923–1925), Nederlandsche spreekwoorden, spreekwijzen, uitdrukkingen en gezegden, 4th ed., 3 vols., Zutphen: Thieme
  12. ^ a b Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)
  13. ^ a b c d e Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
  14. ^ Franck, Johannes; Wijk, Nicolaas van (1912), Franck's Etymologisch woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal, 2nd ed., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff
  15. ^ Berkel, Gerald van; Samplonius, Kees (2018), Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard, Utrecht: Spectrum