Where does “fittest” come from?
Fittest comes from Old English superlative suffix -st added to fit, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -istaz, Proto-Indo-European -istHos, and the Proto-Indo-European agent noun suffix -tós combined with -yoss.
fittest (English): superlative form of fit: most fit; second-person...
Definitions
- superlative form of fit: most fit; second-person...
Ancestry of “fittest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fit | Suitable, proper; Adapted to a purpose or... |
| 2 | English | outfit | A set of clothing; Gear consisting of a set of... |
| 3 | English | out | Away from the inside, centre or other point of... |
| 4 | Middle English | oute | — |
| 5 | Old English | ūt | out |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *ūt | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ūt | out, outward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |