ærest

Old English

Alternative forms

• ǣrost, arest, ǣrust, ǣresta
• arest, æræst — Mercian

Etymology

Superlative form of ǣr, from Proto-West Germanic *airist(ō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæːrest/

Adverb

ǣrest

1. first, at first
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     ⁊ hē [Pirrus] hæfde XX elpenda tō þǣm ġefeohte mid him, þe Rōmane ǣr na ne ne ġesawon: hē wæs sē forma mon þe hīe ǣrest on Italium brōhte.

     And he [Pyrrhus] had twenty elephants with him in battle, which the Romans had never seen before; he was the first man to bring them to Italy.

Descendants

• Middle English: erest, erst, arst
  • English: erst
  • Scots: erst