Where does “-most” come from?

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

Ancestry of “-most”, step by step

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

Words derived from “-most”

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