Where does “bested” come from?
Bested comes from Old English betst, superlative of bet, derived from Latin bestia meaning "beast," though the semantic connection between "beast" and the verb sense remains unclear.
bested (English): simple past tense and past participle of best;...
Definitions
- simple past tense and past participle of best;...
Ancestry of “bested”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | best | superlative form of good: most good; Most;... |
| 2 | Middle English | beste | best; superlative degree of good; best;... |
| 3 | Old French | beste | beast, animal |
| 4 | Latin | bēstia | — |