best

See also Best

English

WOTD – 27 August 2010    

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English beste, from Old English betst, betest (“best”), from Proto-Germanic *batistaz (“best”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhAd- (“good”). Cognate with Scots best (“best”), West Frisian best (“best”), Dutch best (“best”), German beste (“best”), Danish bedst (“best”), Swedish bäst (“best”), Icelandic bestur (“best”). More at better.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɛst/, X-SAMPA: /bEst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst

Adjective

best

1. superlative form of good: most good

Translations

superlative of the adjective good

• Albanian: më (sq) i (sq) miri (sq)
• Arabic: (+ الـ + al-) أفضل (ar) ('áfDal), (+ الـ + al-) أحسن (ar) ('áHsan)
• Armenian: ամենալավ (hy) (amenalav), լավագույն (hy) (lavaguyn)
• Asturian: el meyor (ast)
• Bulgarian: най-добър (bg) (naj-dobăr)
• Catalan: el millor (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最好 (cmn) (zuìhǎo)

• Czech: nejlepší (cs)
• Danish: bedst (da)
• Dutch: best (nl)
• Estonian: läbi (et) pl
• Finnish: paras (fi)
• French: (+ le) meilleur (fr)
• Galician: o mellor (gl) m
• Georgian: საუკეთესო (ka) (sauket'eso)
• German: (+ der, die, das) beste (de), bester (de)
• Hungarian: legjobb (hu)
• Icelandic: bestur (is)

• Irish: is fearr (ga)
• Italian: il migliore (it)
• Japanese: (+ -の -no) 最高 (ja) (さいこう, saikō), 最もよい (ja) (もっともよい, mottomo yoi), (+ -の -no) 最良 (ja) (さいりょう, sairyō), 一番 (ja) (いちばん, ichiban), ベスト (ja) (besuto)
• Latin: optimus (la) m, optima (la) f, optimum (la) n
• Malay: terbaik (ms), terbagus (ms), paling baik (ms), paling bagus (ms)
• Manx: bare, share
• Norwegian: best (no)
• Persian: بِهتَرین (fa) (behtærīn)
• Polish: najlepszy
• Portuguese: o melhor (pt)
• Russian: лучший (ru) (lúčšij), наилучший (ru) (nailúčšij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: најбољи (sh)

  Roman: najbolji (sh)

• Spanish: el mejor (es)
• Swedish: bäst (sv)
• Welsh: gorau (cy)

Adverb

best

1. superlative form of well: most well

Translations

superlative of the adverb well

• Arabic: أفضل (ar) ('áfDal), أحسن (ar) ('áHsan)
• Armenian: ամենալավ (hy) (amenalav)
• Bulgarian: най-добре (bg) (naj-dobre)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 最好 (cmn) (zuìhǎo)

• Czech: nejlépe (cs)
• Finnish: parhaiten (fi)
• French: (+ le) mieux (fr)
• Georgian: გადასარევად (ka) (gadasarevad)
• German: beste (de), am besten (de)

• Greek: άριστα (el) (árista), κάλλιστα (el) (kállista)
• Japanese: 最高 (ja) (saikō)
• Latin: optime (la)
• Norwegian: best (no)
• Persian: بهترین (fa) (behtarin), بهشت (fa) (behešt)
• Portuguese: melhor (pt)
• Russian: лучше всего (lúčše vsegó read: lúčše vsevó), лучше всех (lúčše vseh)
• Serbo-Croatian: najbolje (sh)
• Swedish: bäst (sv)

Noun

best (countable and uncountable; plural bests)

1. (uncountable) The supreme effort one can make

   I did my best.

   • 2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Olympiakos”, BBC Sport:

     Home defender Per Mertesacker had to be at his best to stop a dangerous cross from Vassilis Torossidis reaching Djebbour, but moments later Arsenal doubled their lead through Santos.

2. (countable) The person (or persons) who is (are) most excellent.
3. This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

   personal best

Translations

effort

• Finnish: paras (fi), parhain (fi)
• French: mieux (fr) m
• German: Bestes (de) n
• Irish: dícheall (ga) m

• Japanese: ベスト (ja) (besuto)
• Norwegian: beste (no)
• Russian: всё возможное (ru) (vsjo vozmóžnoje) n
• Swedish: bästa (sv)

person

• Finnish: paras (fi), parhain (fi), parhaimmisto (fi)
• French: élite (fr), fleur (fr), crème (fr), dessus du panier (fr)
• Galician: elite (gl) f
• German: Bester (de) m, Beste (de) f
• Norwegian: best (no)

• Portuguese: melhor (pt) m
• Russian: лучший (ru) (lúčšij) m
• Spanish: élite (es), flor (es), nata (es)
• Swedish: bästa (sv), bäste (sv)

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;
   • 2010, T. William Phillips, Restless Heart, page 16

     "You did not win because I was sloppy. You bested me, Uncle. I've never seen you fight like that before.”

Synonyms

• To worst.

Translations

to beat

• Bulgarian: вземам връх над (bg) (vzemam vrǎh nad)
• Czech: porazit (cs)
• Dutch: slaan (nl), overmeesteren (nl)
• Finnish: päihittää (fi)
• French: battre (fr), vaincre (fr), surpasser (fr), enfoncer (fr), écraser (fr), aplatir (fr), dominer (fr), défaire (fr)

• German: übertreffen (de)
• Italian: superare (it), dominare (it), vincere (it)
• Norwegian: slå (no)
• Spanish: sobrepasar (es), superar (es), vencer (es), rebasar (es), derrotar (es), aventajar (es)
• Swedish: besegra (sv)

Related terms

• better
• bestest

Derived terms

• all for the best
• all the best
• as best one can
• at best
• had best
• have the best of
• get the best of
• make the best of
• the best part of
• with the best
• best of the best

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: until · does · Gutenberg · #245: best · word · light · felt

Anagrams

• bets

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Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛst

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

best

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

   Mag ik buiten spelen? — Ik vind het best, als je maar voor het eten weer thuis bent.

   May I go and play outside? — It's fine with me, as long as you're back home again before dinner.

Synonyms

• (fine): prima

Adverb

best

1. quite

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Middle Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA: /best/

Adjective

best

1. best; superlative form of goet

Adverb

best

1. best; superlative form of wel

Descendants

• Dutch: best

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Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• betst

Etymology

from Proto-Germanic *batistaz (“best”).

Adverb

best

1. best

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Swedish

Noun

best c

1. beast

Declension

Declension of best

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	best	besten	bestar	bestarna
genitive	bests	bestens	bestars	bestarnas