most

A1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

Also spelled mos

US /ˈmoʊst/ UK /ˈməʊst/ See IPA manual

Freq #271

Meanings

1

det
Nearly all of a group; more than half.

Most bakers have to get up early in the morning.
2

det
The largest number or amount of something.

The team with the most points wins the game.
3

adv
Used to form the superlative of longer adjectives and adverbs.

This is the most important example in the book.
4

adv
To a very great degree; extremely.

That was a most unusual thing to say.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 adv · to a very great degree;... very

Word family

Derived forms aldermostbackmostforemostfrontmosthindmost innermost mostlymostnessmostwhatone-size-fits-mostoutermost rearmost

Related forms more

Appears in

Phrases (4)

See all

most intriguing
Very interesting because of unusual or puzzling features, in formal usage.

Adverb + adjective
most refreshing
Very welcome because it is pleasantly new or different.

Adverb + adjective
most salubrious
more favorable to health and well-being than the alternatives being considered

Adverb + adjective
most treacherous
more likely than others to betray trust or act disloyally

Adverb + adjective

Tongue twisters (1)

See all

A Noisy Oyster
What noise annoys a noisy oyster most? A noisy noise annoys a noisy oyster most.

Keep the two parts of /ɔɪ/ connected in noise, annoys and oyster. Notice that noise and annoys end with voiced /z/, while most begins wit...

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *maiz Proto-Germanic *maistaz Proto-Germanic *maist Proto-West Germanic *maist Old English mǣst Middle English English most From Middle English most, moste, from Old English mǣst, māst, from Proto-Germanic *maistaz, *maist. Cognate with Scots mast, maist (“most”), Saterland Frisian maast (“most”), West Frisian meast (“most”), Dutch meest (“most”), German meist (“most”), Danish and Swedish mest (“most”), Icelandic mestur (“most”).

most Middle English mǣst Old English *maistaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

External links

# most

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** det, adv
**IPA (US):** /ˈmoʊst/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈməʊst/
**Frequency rank:** 271

## Meanings
1. Nearly all of a group; more than half.
2. The largest number or amount of something.
3. Used to form the superlative of longer adjectives and adverbs.
4. To a very great degree; extremely.

## Examples
- Most bakers have to get up early in the morning.
- The team with the most points wins the game.
- This is the most important example in the book.
- That was a most unusual thing to say.

## Derived Forms
- aldermost
- backmost
- foremost
- frontmost
- hindmost
- innermost
- mostly
- mostness
- mostwhat
- one-size-fits-most
- outermost
- rearmost

## Related Forms
- more

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: most
- Root: mǣst
- Root: *maistaz

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *maiz Proto-Germanic *maistaz Proto-Germanic *maist Proto-West Germanic *maist Old English mǣst Middle English English most From Middle English most, moste, from Old English mǣst, māst, from Proto-Germanic *maistaz, *maist. Cognate with Scots mast, maist (“most”), Saterland Frisian maast (“most”), West Frisian meast (“most”), Dutch meest (“most”), German meist (“most”), Danish and Swedish mest (“most”), Icelandic mestur (“most”).

## AI Etymology
Most comes from Middle English most, moste, from Old English mǣst, māst, from Proto-Germanic *maistaz, *maist. Cognate with Scots mast, maist (“most”), Saterland Frisian maast (“most”), West Frisian meast (“most”), Dutch meest (“most”), German meist (“most”), Danish and Swedish mest (“most”), Icelandic mestur (“most”). In present-day English its meanings include nearly all of a group; more than half, the largest number or amount of something, and used to form the superlative of longer adjectives and adverbs. The historical chain runs through most (Middle English), mǣst (Old English), and *maistaz (Proto-Germanic). Related and derived forms include more, aldermost, backmost, and foremost.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

markdown