meist German · revision 35275

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century|origins=gem-pro *maistaz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /maɪ̯st/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''meist'''^(Wiktionary)

+ A by-form ''meinst'' was common in Upper and Central German sources for several centuries, into the 17th; the Carolina of 1533 has ''die meinste beschwerung''.^(DWB|12, 1947)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|meist]], [[inh|goh|meist]], [[inh|gem-pro|*maistaz|t=most]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same superlative is [[osx|mēst]], [[non|mestr]], [[ang|mǣst]] and [[ofs|māst]], and it continues in [[nl|meest]], [[en|most]] and [[sv|mest]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Orel 2003)

+

+ It was formed with the superlative suffix [[m|gem-pro|*-istaz]] from the same base as the comparative [[mehr]]; together they serve as the comparison of [[viel]].^(Kluge 2011|613)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020|546) Pfeifer and Wahrig trace the base to a root [[ine-pro|*mē-|t=big, considerable]], in its zero grade.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) The Grimms explain that a consonant at the end of the root was lost, so that the comparative and superlative developed separately and hardly look related any longer; this is why a new superlative [[mehrst]] could be formed.^(DWB|12, 1947)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Pfeifer dates the Old High German adjective ''meisto'' to the 8th century and the adverb ''meist'' to the 8th or 9th; the adverb appears in glosses of the early 9th century, in Otfrid and in Notker, meaning “most, most of all, especially”.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|219) Notker also uses ''meist'' as a noun, “the greatest amount”.^(AWB|6, 378)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Middle High German ''meist'' meant “greatest, most” and also “mightiest, strongest”;^(Lexer 1872|1, 2084)^(Köbler MHD) ''das meiste'' was the greater part or the majority, and the adverb ranged over “mostly, at most, as much as possible”.^(Lexer 1872|1, 2084)^(Köbler MHD) Early New High German also used it for “at most, no more than” and for “often”.^(FWB) Adelung records ''am meisten'' and notes that ''meist'' for “usually” belonged to everyday speech, while the biblical ''aufs meiste'' “at the most” was no longer standard.^(Adelung 1793)

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+ Today the adverb ''meist'' “usually” stands beside ''meistens'', and the pronoun ''die meisten'' means the majority.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''meisto'' “most” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|613)

+ * Early 9th century – The adverb ''meist'' appears in glosses.^(Köbler AHD)

+ * 1060–1065 – Middle High German ''meiste'' is found in Williram's paraphrase of the Song of Songs.^(Köbler MHD)

+ * 1533 – The Carolina uses the by-form ''meinst''.^(DWB|12, 1947)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|usually]], in most cases, [[m|en|mostly]]: ''Am Wochenende schläft sie meist lange.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(meist…)'' The greatest number or amount of something: ''Wer hat die meisten Punkte?''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(meist…)'' The larger part, the [[m|en|majority]]: ''die meisten Besucher'', ''das meiste davon''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(am meisten)'' [[m|en|most]], to the greatest degree; also forming superlatives: ''das am meisten gelesene Buch''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[meistens]]

+ * [[allermeist]]

+ * [[zumeist]]

+ * [[meistenteils]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mehr]]

+ * [[viel]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}