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leastEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
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 Frisian leist * Old Saxon lēs
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗leastEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
Contraction of at least.
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Chambers (1908)
1908- LeastEnglish · e-38538-7171
Least, lēst, adj. (serves as superl. of Little) little beyond all others: smallest.—adv. in the smallest or lowest degree.—advs. Least′ways, Least′wise, at least: however.—At least, or At the least, at the lowest estimat
Read the full source record → - LeastEnglish · e-38538-7172
Least, lēst, conj. (Spens.). Same as Lest.
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