-mostsuffix

Primary stress is retained by the usual stressed syllable of the preceding element; see e.g. anteriormost adj.

Forms: Old English -mesþ (rare), Old English -mesð (rare), Old English–early Middle English -mæst, Old English–1600s -mest, late Old English -mst (rare), late Old English -mynst (transmission error), late Old English (rare) Middle English– -most, late Old English–Middle English -mist, late Old English–Middle English -myst, Middle English -meste, Middle English -mwste, Middle English -myste, Middle English–1500s -maste, Middle English–1500s -muste, Middle English–1600s -mast, Middle English–1600s -moste, 1500s -moost, 1500s -mooste, 1800s– -meeast (Yorkshire), 1800s– -mest (regional), 1800s– -must (regional); Scottish pre-1700 -mest, pre-1700 -moste, pre-1700 1700s– -maist, pre-1700 1700s– -most, pre-1700 1800s– -mast, 1800s -mist.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Gothic -umist- , a superlative suffix found in six adjectives (e.g. auhumists highest, cognate with Old English ȳmest ) < the Germanic base of the superlative suffix in -m- attested in Old English forma first, hindema last ( < the same Indo-European base as the suffix attested in classical Latin prīmus prime adj.) + the Germanic base of -est suffix; compare also the etymological discussion s.v. midmost adj.Those Old English superlatives in -mest which either descend from Germanic, or are extensions with -est of Germanic superlatives in -m- , are formed not on adjectives but on prepositional or demonstrative stems; examples are æftemest (see aftermost adj.), formest (also fyrmest ) foremost adj., inmest inmost adj., niðemest nethemest adj., ufemest (more commonly attested in form yfemest ) umest adj.), ūtmest (more commonly attested in form ȳtmest ) utmost adj. and n., ȳmest highest; the only instance (among the words belonging to this primary group) of formation on an adjectival stem is midmest midmost adj. On the analogy of these older words, the suffix -mest was in Old English used to form superlative adjectives (chiefly from adverbial stems) of local and temporal signification, as lætmest latemost adj., sīðemest latest, ēastemest eastmost adj., westmest (also westema ) westmost adj., norðmest northmost adj., sūðmest southmost adj. In late Old English the adjectives in -mest came to be regarded as compounds of mǣst most adj., as the frequent spelling -mæst shows. The subsequent history of the written form of the suffix coincides with that of the adjective, except that the absence of stress led to the occasional retention of the spelling -mest (beside the quasi-etymological -most ) down to the 17th cent. (later in regional forms). The late Old English and Middle English forms -mist , -myst , in turn, represent earlier unstressed variants of -mest . The superlatives in -mest , -most corresponded to comparatives in -er ; hence in Middle English and early modern English the suffix -most (interpreted as identical with most adj.) was added to many comparatives in -er suffix³, frequently corresponding to adverbial formations in -more suffix, as in farthermost adj., furthermost adj., highermost adj., hindermost adj., innermost adj. and n., lowermost adj. and adv., outermost adj., n., and adv., uppermost adv., adj., and n., uttermost adj. Formations continued to be made on the basis of adverbs and adjectives with local and temporal meaning in Middle English and early modern English, e.g. farmost adj., hindmost adj., hithermost adj., middlemost adj., n., and adv., nearmost adj., nethermost adj., outmost adj., overmost adj., n., and adv., undermost adj. and adv., upmost adj., umest adj., yondmost adj. From early modern English onwards, new formations based on adjectives and adverbs denoting compass direction appear (probably on the pattern of earlier eastmost adj., northmost adj., etc.), e.g. eastermost adj., northermost adj., etc.; easternmost adj., northernmost adj., etc. Comparable formations appearing over the same period are those based on adjectives and adverbs in -ward suffix, e.g. inwardmost adj., leewardmost adj., outwardmost adj., windwardmost adj. at windward n., adj., and adv. Derivatives, etc. In Middle English and modern English, the suffix was appended to certain positive adjectives implying position in place, as in deepmost adj., highmost adj., leftmost adj., lowmost adj., adv., and n., rearmost adj., rightmost adj.; also (from early modern English onwards) to nouns used adjectivally in a similar way, as in backmost adj., bottommost adj., headmost adj., topmost adj. and n., weathermost adj., and occasionally where there is no such adjectival use, e.g. sternmost adj. The restriction of the application of the suffix to words denoting position in place, time, or serial order, which existed in Old English, has almost universally been adhered to in subsequent formations; the only exceptions, in words that have obtained any degree of currency, are bettermost adj. and onemost adj. The only other exceptions to this occur in ad hoc formations, as in happy-most adj. N.E.D. (1908) states that ‘the formal pronunciation of the suffix is assimilated to that of the adjective, though colloquial the normal pronunciation (məst) /məst/ is usual.’

Suffixed to adjectives, adverbs, and occasionally nouns, mostly denoting position in place, time, or serial order, forming superlative adjectives (many of which are also used as nouns and adverbs).

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online December 2020).

单词	-most
释义	-mostsuffix Primary stress is retained by the usual stressed syllable of the preceding element; see e.g. anteriormost adj. Forms: Old English -mesþ (rare), Old English -mesð (rare), Old English–early Middle English -mæst, Old English–1600s -mest, late Old English -mst (rare), late Old English -mynst (transmission error), late Old English (rare) Middle English– -most, late Old English–Middle English -mist, late Old English–Middle English -myst, Middle English -meste, Middle English -mwste, Middle English -myste, Middle English–1500s -maste, Middle English–1500s -muste, Middle English–1600s -mast, Middle English–1600s -moste, 1500s -moost, 1500s -mooste, 1800s– -meeast (Yorkshire), 1800s– -mest (regional), 1800s– -must (regional); Scottish pre-1700 -mest, pre-1700 -moste, pre-1700 1700s– -maist, pre-1700 1700s– -most, pre-1700 1800s– -mast, 1800s -mist. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Gothic -umist- , a superlative suffix found in six adjectives (e.g. auhumists highest, cognate with Old English ȳmest ) < the Germanic base of the superlative suffix in -m- attested in Old English forma first, hindema last ( < the same Indo-European base as the suffix attested in classical Latin prīmus prime adj.) + the Germanic base of -est suffix; compare also the etymological discussion s.v. midmost adj.Those Old English superlatives in -mest which either descend from Germanic, or are extensions with -est of Germanic superlatives in -m- , are formed not on adjectives but on prepositional or demonstrative stems; examples are æftemest (see aftermost adj.), formest (also fyrmest ) foremost adj., inmest inmost adj., niðemest nethemest adj., ufemest (more commonly attested in form yfemest ) umest adj.), ūtmest (more commonly attested in form ȳtmest ) utmost adj. and n., ȳmest highest; the only instance (among the words belonging to this primary group) of formation on an adjectival stem is midmest midmost adj. On the analogy of these older words, the suffix -mest was in Old English used to form superlative adjectives (chiefly from adverbial stems) of local and temporal signification, as lætmest latemost adj., sīðemest latest, ēastemest eastmost adj., westmest (also westema ) westmost adj., norðmest northmost adj., sūðmest southmost adj. In late Old English the adjectives in -mest came to be regarded as compounds of mǣst most adj., as the frequent spelling -mæst shows. The subsequent history of the written form of the suffix coincides with that of the adjective, except that the absence of stress led to the occasional retention of the spelling -mest (beside the quasi-etymological -most ) down to the 17th cent. (later in regional forms). The late Old English and Middle English forms -mist , -myst , in turn, represent earlier unstressed variants of -mest . The superlatives in -mest , -most corresponded to comparatives in -er ; hence in Middle English and early modern English the suffix -most (interpreted as identical with most adj.) was added to many comparatives in -er suffix³, frequently corresponding to adverbial formations in -more suffix, as in farthermost adj., furthermost adj., highermost adj., hindermost adj., innermost adj. and n., lowermost adj. and adv., outermost adj., n., and adv., uppermost adv., adj., and n., uttermost adj. Formations continued to be made on the basis of adverbs and adjectives with local and temporal meaning in Middle English and early modern English, e.g. farmost adj., hindmost adj., hithermost adj., middlemost adj., n., and adv., nearmost adj., nethermost adj., outmost adj., overmost adj., n., and adv., undermost adj. and adv., upmost adj., umest adj., yondmost adj. From early modern English onwards, new formations based on adjectives and adverbs denoting compass direction appear (probably on the pattern of earlier eastmost adj., northmost adj., etc.), e.g. eastermost adj., northermost adj., etc.; easternmost adj., northernmost adj., etc. Comparable formations appearing over the same period are those based on adjectives and adverbs in -ward suffix, e.g. inwardmost adj., leewardmost adj., outwardmost adj., windwardmost adj. at windward n., adj., and adv. Derivatives, etc. In Middle English and modern English, the suffix was appended to certain positive adjectives implying position in place, as in deepmost adj., highmost adj., leftmost adj., lowmost adj., adv., and n., rearmost adj., rightmost adj.; also (from early modern English onwards) to nouns used adjectivally in a similar way, as in backmost adj., bottommost adj., headmost adj., topmost adj. and n., weathermost adj., and occasionally where there is no such adjectival use, e.g. sternmost adj. The restriction of the application of the suffix to words denoting position in place, time, or serial order, which existed in Old English, has almost universally been adhered to in subsequent formations; the only exceptions, in words that have obtained any degree of currency, are bettermost adj. and onemost adj. The only other exceptions to this occur in ad hoc formations, as in happy-most adj. N.E.D. (1908) states that ‘the formal pronunciation of the suffix is assimilated to that of the adjective, though colloquial the normal pronunciation (məst) /məst/ is usual.’ Suffixed to adjectives, adverbs, and occasionally nouns, mostly denoting position in place, time, or serial order, forming superlative adjectives (many of which are also used as nouns and adverbs). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2002; most recently modified version published online December 2020). < suffix
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