meest

Forms

meest (inflected meeste), the superlative of veel and of meer.^[1][2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle Dutch meest, inherited from Old Dutch meist (“greatest”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *maist, inherited from Proto-Germanic *maista- (“most, greatest”).^[4][1][5] It has always been a superlative: Middle Dutch used it beside the comparatives mee and meer, and in modern Dutch it is the superlative of veel.^[3][2][4]

The same word is Old Saxon mēst, Old High German meist (modern German meist), Old Frisian māst (modern West Frisian meast), Old English mǣst (modern English most), Old Norse mestr and Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (maists).^[4][6][7] According to the EWN the Germanic form was the superlative that went with the adjective Proto-Germanic *mekila- (“big”), and it comes from the same root as the comparative.^[4] Köbler connects that root with Proto-Indo-European *mē- (“big, considerable”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Wachtendonck Psalms of the 10th century have the adjective in the dative meistero, in a phrase meaning “of the greatest crime”.^[4][5] Middle Dutch meest is found from 1265–1270 in the life of Saint Lutgart, both as an adverb (Den genen die meest heilech es, “the one who is holiest”) and with a noun, and in the late 13th century as an adjective: cete es alre vissce meest, “the whale is the largest of all fish”.^[4][3]

Semantic evolution

In Middle Dutch meest meant “greatest, largest” in size or importance, the Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek noting that it then serves as the superlative of groot; it also meant “most numerous”, as in a text of 1287 that says the firefly is most common in Italy.^[4][9][3] Phrases with the quantity sense follow: dat meeste deel van den lieden “the greater part of the people” (1322) and by den meesten gevolge “by a majority of votes” (1356–1387).^[4][9]

The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal finds that the older language prefers the sense “greatest”, used even of persons and animals (a text of 1622 calls the elephant het meeste van de dieren), while the later language prefers “making up the largest amount”; the use with plural nouns, de meeste rampen “most misfortunes”, is recorded from 1785.^[10] The sense “greatest, most important” is now obsolete.^[10] As an adverb meest meant “mostly, usually”, now mostly expressed by meestal, and it forms the superlative of adjectives and participles.^[3][11][1]

The word went into Negerhollands as meest, and Surinamese Javanese has deméste “mostly, often”.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 901–1000 – The Wachtendonck Psalms have the dative meistero “greatest”.^[4][2]
• 1265–1270 – Middle Dutch meest appears as an adverb and with a noun in the life of Saint Lutgart.^[3][4]
• 1276–1300 – The whale is called alre vissce meest, the largest of all fish.^[4]
• 1287 – Meest is used in the sense “most numerous”.^[4][3]
• 1322 – Dat meeste deel van den lieden “most people” is recorded.^[4]
• 1622 – The elephant is called het meeste van de dieren, the greatest of the animals.^[10]
• 1785 – Meest is used with a plural noun for the largest number: de meeste rampen.^[10]

Meanings

Determiner

1. most: the largest amount or number of; the superlative of veel: Hij heeft het meeste geld van ons allemaal.^[1][10]
2. (with the article, as a noun) the most; most people or things of a group: De meesten bleven thuis.^[3][9]

Adverb

1. most, to the highest degree; forms the superlative of adjectives and participles: de meest bezochte stad van het land.^[11][3]
2. (now uncommon) mostly, usually; now usually meestal.^[11][1]

Word family

• meestal
• meestentijds
• meestendeels
• allermeest

Related words

• meer
• veel
• English most
• German meist

Usage notes

Met de meeste hoogachting is a very formal closing formula of a letter.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Veen, P. A. F. van; Sijs, Nicoline van der (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2nd ed., Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Lexicografie
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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
5. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org
6. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill
7. ^ Vries, Jan de; Tollenaere, Félicien de (2004), Etymologisch woordenboek: onze woorden, hun oorsprong en ontwikkeling, 23rd ed., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, p. 244
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altniederfränkisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling
9. ^ a b c Verwijs, Eelco; Verdam, Jacob (1885–1929), Middelnederlandsch woordenboek, 11 vols., 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff; gtb.ivdnt.org
10. ^ a b c d e 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
11. ^ a b c d Van Dale Groot woordenboek hedendaags Nederlands (2014), Utrecht / Antwerpen: Van Dale Uitgevers
12. ^ Sijs, Nicoline van der (2010), Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd, Den Haag: Sdu; with additions from the Uitleenwoordenbank (2015)