Where does “-most” come from?

-most (English) comes from Middle English -most, from Old English -mest, from Proto-Germanic *-umistaz.

-most (English): Furthest; -est; "used to form superlatives of...

Definitions

  1. Furthest; -est; "used to form superlatives of...

Ancestry of “-most”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-most—
2Old English-mestmost; used to form the superlative of certain words, such as cardinal directions
3Proto-Germanic*-umistaz—

Words derived from “-most”

Every word from Proto-Germanic *-umistaz →Every word from Old English -mest →Every word from Middle English -most →
-most — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer