best

English Online Dictionary. What means best‎? What does best mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛst/
• Rhymes: -ɛst

Etymology 1

From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Adjective

best (positive good, adverb well, comparative better, superlative (humorous) bestest)

1. superlative form of good: most good.
2. Most; largest.

3. Most superior; most favorable.

Usage notes

The comparative gooder and superlative goodest derived from the positive good are nonstandard. In informal (often jocular) contexts, best may be inflected further and given the comparative bester and the superlative bestest; these forms are also nonstandard.

Antonyms

• worst
• baddest (nonstandard)

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

best

1. superlative form of well: most well
2. To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.

Translations

Noun

best (countable and uncountable, plural bests)

1. (uncountable) The supreme effort one can make, or has made.
2. (uncountable) One's best behavior.

3. (countable) The person (or persons; or thing or things) that is (are) most excellent.

Derived terms

• first best
• level best

Translations

Verb

best (third-person singular simple present bests, present participle besting, simple past and past participle bested)

1. To surpass in skill or achievement.
2. (transitive) To beat in a contest.

Conjugation

Antonyms

• worst

Translations

Related terms

• better
• bestest

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Shortening of had best

Verb

best

1. (modal verb, colloquial) Had best.

Usage notes

• Although it is sometimes considered an adverb, best is virtually synonymous with should in We best be going. and ought to We best go.. Should and ought are auxiliary verbs.

References

• “best”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “best”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• BTEs, Bets, bets

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛst/
• Hyphenation: best
• Rhymes: -ɛst
• Homophone: Best

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch best, from Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz, superlative of *gōdaz. Compare Low German best, English best, West Frisian best, German besten, Danish bedst.

Adjective

best

1. superlative degree of goed; best.
2. fine, okay

3. dear, venerable (in a polite address)

Inflection

• (definite inflected form): beste

Synonyms

• (fine): prima

Descendants

• Afrikaans: beste
• Berbice Creole Dutch: besti
• Negerhollands: bes, best
• →? Sranan Tongo: besi

Adverb

best

1. quite, rather

Etymology 2

Noun

best f (plural besten, diminutive bestje n)

1. (dated, chiefly diminutive) Alternative form of bes (“old woman”).

Masurian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛst]
• Syllabification: best

Noun

best m inan (related adjective bestowi)

1. elder (bush of genus Sambucus)
2. lilac (bush of genus Syringa)

Further reading

• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2021) “I. bez”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur‎^[2], volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, page 165
• Günter Donder (2011) “+”, in Kleines masurisches Wörterbuch mit Lesestücken und einen Tonträger‎^[3] (in German), archived from the original on 10/12/2023, page 11

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *betst, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /best/

Adjective

best

1. best; superlative degree of goet

Adverb

best

1. best; superlative degree of wel

Descendants

• Dutch: best
  • Afrikaans: beste
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: besti
  • Negerhollands: bes, best
  • →? Sranan Tongo: besi
• Limburgish: bès

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English betst, betest.

Adjective

best

1. Alternative form of beste

Adverb

best

1. Alternative form of beste

Etymology 2

From Old French beste.

Noun

best

1. Alternative form of beeste

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse beztr.

Adjective

best

1. indefinite singular superlative degree of god: best
2. indefinite singular superlative degree of bra: best

Derived terms

• bestselger
• bestselgende

References

• “best” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse beztr.

Adjective

best

1. indefinite singular superlative degree of god: best
2. indefinite singular superlative degree of bra

References

• “best” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• betst

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *batistaz.

Adverb

best

1. best

Descendants

• Low German: best

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English best.

Pronunciation

Noun

best m or f by sense (invariable)

1. (Brazil, chiefly Internet slang) bestie

   Synonym: BFF

Further reading

• “best” in Dicionário inFormal.

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɛst]

Adjective

best

1. superlative degree of guid

Derived terms

• ill-best (“best of a bad lot, best of a poor selection”)

Noun

best (plural bests)

1. groomsman

Swedish

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin bēstia.

Pronunciation

• Homophone: bäst

Noun

best c

1. beast

Declension

Anagrams

• bets