best Dutch · revision 37261

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1100, Old Dutch (Egmond Williram)|origins=gem-pro *bat-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bɛst/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''best'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|dum|best]], [[inh|odt|betist]], [[inh|gem-pro|*batistaz|t=best]], the superlative with the suffix [[m|gem-pro|*-istaz]] of the root [[m|gem-pro|*bat-|t=good]], which also gave [[beter]], [[bet-]] and [[baten]].^(EWN)^(ONW)^(Wiktionary) It serves as the superlative of [[goed]], a word of another root.^(VMNW)^(Wiktionary) The Dutch form must at first have been ⟨*betst⟩, which became the present form by assimilation.^(EWN)^(Vercoullie 1925)

+

+ The same word is [[osx|betst]] (also ⟨best⟩), [[goh|bezzist]] (modern [[de|beste]]), [[ofs|best]] (modern [[fy|bêst]]), [[ang|betst]] (modern [[en|best]]), [[non|beztr]] and [[got|𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃|tr=batists]].^(EWN)^(De Vries 1971)^(Vercoullie 1925)

+

+ ==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”.^(ONW)^(WikiWoordenboek) Middle Dutch ''best'' is found from 1201 in the Lower Rhine area, and in Ghent in 1236.^(VMNW)^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+

+ ==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”.^(EWN) 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”.^(EWN)^(WNT) 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”.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+

+ The form of address ''beste'', “dear”, is old: a letter of 1785 hopes that ''myne Beste'' is well.^(WNT)^(WikiWoordenboek) Middle Dutch already had ''sijn beste doen'', to do one's best.^(MNW) The idiom ''zijn beste beentje voorzetten'', to put one's best foot forward, had 18th-century variants such as ''het beste beentje vooruitsteken''.^(Stoett 1923)

+

+ 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.^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary) Afrikaans has [[m|af|beste]].^(Van der Sijs 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1100 – Old Dutch ''bezzest'' “best” in the Egmond Williram.^(ONW)

+ * 1201 – Middle Dutch ''best'' in the Lower Rhine area.^(VMNW)

+ * 1236 – ''Best'' in a Ghent text.^(EWN)^(Van der Sijs 2001)

+ * 17th century – ''Best'' as a particle of recommendation.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+ * 1785 – ''Myne Beste'' as a form of address.^(WNT)

+ * 1866 – The adverb ''best'' “well enough”.^(EWN)^(WNT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|best]], the superlative of [[goed]].^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Good, fine, excellent: ''een bovenste beste'', a thoroughly good person.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|dear]], in forms of address: ''Beste Anna'', Dear Anna.^(Van Dale 2014)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Best, most: ''dat vind ik het best'', I like that best.^(Van Dale 2014)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Very well, perfectly well: ''dat weet je best'', you know that perfectly well.^(EWN)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # [[m|en|quite]], [[m|en|rather]]: ''best lastig'', quite difficult.^(Wiktionary)^(WikiWoordenboek)

+ # Fine, all right, expressing agreement.^(WikiWoordenboek)^(WNT)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bestwil]]

+ * [[allerbest]]

+ * [[opperbest]]

+ * [[paasbest]]

+ * [[bestemoer]]

+ * [[bestevaar]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[beter]]

+ * [[baten]]

+ * [[goed]]

+ * [[en|best]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Zijn best doen'' is to do one's best, and ''de eerste de beste'' means just anyone.^(Van Dale 2014) A separate ''best'' or ''bes'', usually in the diminutive ''bestje'', meant “grandmother”, later “old woman” (1620); it is short for ''bestemoeder''.^(WNT)^(Franck & Van Wijk 1912) The town of Best in North Brabant, first recorded in 1307, has a name of unknown origin.^(Van Berkel & Samplonius 2018)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}