Where does “most” come from?
Almost derives from Old English mǣst, from Proto-Germanic maist, from Proto-Germanic mikilaz, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root med- meaning to measure or middle.
most (English): superlative degree of much; superlative degree of...
Definitions
- superlative degree of much; superlative degree of...
Ancestry of “most”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | most | — |
| 2 | Old English | mǣst | most |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | maistaz | superlative degree of *mikilaz; most |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mikilaz | great, large; much, many |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | meǵa- | — |
Words derived from “most”