least

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   To the smallest degree or amount.

   She practised the routine she knew least.

2. 2
   adv

   Used to form the superlative of adjectives and adverbs, marking the lowest degree.

   It was the least surprising news of the year.

3. 3
   det

   The smallest amount of something.

   He earns the least money in his family.

4. 4
   pron

   The smallest amount or extent.

   I'm giving the least of all towards her present.

Common collocations

• least resistance Adjective + noun

The adjective, determiner, and noun are derived from Middle English leste, lest, last (“(adjective) smallest, least; (noun) smallest thing, etc.; person or thing least in importance; etc.”), from Old English lǣst, a contraction of læsast, læsest (“least”) (also lærest in only one source), from Proto-Germanic *laisistaz (“smallest, least”), from *laisiz (“less”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-; whence modern English less) + *-istaz (“suffix forming superlative forms of some adjectives”). The adverb and pronoun are derived from the adjective or determiner. cognates * Old…

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images