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/, SAMPA: /bEst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛst

Adjective

best

1. Superlative form of good: most good.

Translations

superlative of the adjective good

Albanian: më i miri 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) Catalan: el millor Chinese: Mandarin: 最好 (cmn) (zuìhǎo) Croatian: najbolji (hr) Czech: nejlepší (cs) Danish: bedst (da) Dutch: best (nl) Estonian: läbi (et) pl. Finnish: paras (fi) French: (+ le) meilleur (fr) German: (+ der, die, das) beste (de), bester (de) Hungarian: legjobb (hu)

Icelandic: bestur (is) m., best (is) f., best (is) n. Irish: is fearr (ga) Italian: il migliore 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, m., optima, f., optimum n. Manx: bare, share Norwegian: best (no) Persian: بِهتَرین (behtærīn) Polish: najlepszy m., najlepsza f., najlepsze n. Portuguese: o melhor Russian: лучший (ru) (lúčšij), наилучший (ru) (nailúčšij) Serbian: најбољи (sr) m., најбоља (sr) f., најбоље (sr) n. Spanish: el mejor 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) Chinese: Mandarin: 最好 (cmn) (zuìhǎo) Croatian: najbolje (hr) Czech: nejlépe (cs) Finnish: parhaiten (fi) French: (+ le) mieux (fr) 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) 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: Beste (de) n.

Norwegian: beste (no) Swedish: bästa (sv)

person

Finnish: paras (fi), parhain (fi), parhaimmisto (fi) French: élite (fr), fleur (fr), crème (fr), dessus du panier (fr) German: Beste (de) m. and f. Norwegian: best (no)

Portuguese: melhor (pt) 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. (transitive) To beat in a contest; to surpass in skill or achievement.
   • 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) Czech: porazit (cs) Dutch: slaan (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)

Statistics

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

Anagrams

• bets

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

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Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛst

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

best

1. Superlative form of goed; best.

Adverb

best (not comparable)

1. quite

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Middle Dutch

Etymology

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

Adjective

best

1. best; Superlative form of goet.

Adverb

best

1. best; Superlative form of wel.

Descendants

• Dutch: 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