-most

See also: Appendix:Variations of "most"

English

Etymology

From Middle English -most(e), from earlier -mest, from Old English -(e)mest, from Proto-Germanic *-umistaz, from the comparative suffix *-umô (from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-) + the regular superlative suffix *-istaz (whence English -est). The Middle English form is due to conflation with the originally unrelated superlative most. See foremost for more.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌməʊst/ (secondary stress; primary stress is on the stem)

Suffix

-most

  1. Furthest; -est; used to form superlatives of certain adjectives, especially directional and inherently-comparative ones.
    eastern + ‎-most → ‎easternmost
    nether + ‎-most → ‎nethermost

Usage notes

  • Productivity of the suffix is limited in contemporary English.

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

See also

Anagrams