best

See also: Best

English

WOTD – 27 August 2010

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• 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.

   I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.

   • c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii], page 163, column 1:

     […] when he is beſt, he is a little worſe then a man, and when he is worſt, he is little better than a beaſt:

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, line 19:

     Heav'ns laſt beſt gift, my ever new delight,

   • 2011 October 7, Lana Del Rey; Justin Parker (lyrics and music), “Video Games”, in Born to Die, performed by Lana Del Rey:

     Swinging in the backyard / Pull up in your fast car whistling my name / Open up a beer / And you say get over here and play a video game / […] / I say you the bestest / Lean in for a big kiss, put his favorite perfume on / Go play your video game

   • 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:

     Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. […] Governments have to find the best people to fill important jobs: there is a limited supply of people who understand the financial system, for example. But governments must also remember that businesses are self-interested actors who will try to rig the system for their own benefit.

2. Most; largest.

   Unpacking took the best part of a week.

3. Most superior; most favorable.

   In my opinion, mushrooms are the best pizza toppings.

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

• baddest (nonstandard)
• worst

Derived terms

• bestness
• bester, bestest

Adverb

best

1. superlative form of well: most well
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 867–869:

     Out of my ſight, thou Serpent, that name beſt / Befits thee with him leagu'd, thy ſelf as falſe / And hateful;

   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398, line 1072, page 65:

     But had we beſt retire, I ſee a ſtorm?

   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

     He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:

     At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

2. To the most advantage; with the most success, cause, profit, benefit, or propriety.
   • 1854, Arthur Pendennis [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], OCLC 809623158:

     Had I not best go to her?

Noun

best (countable and uncountable, plural bests)

1. (uncountable) The supreme effort one can make, or has made.

   I did my best.

   My personal best in that race is eighteen minutes, four seconds.

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

     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. (uncountable) One's best behavior.

   I was somewhat distant lately, and my lady promised me head every Tuesday of the week when I'm nice to her, so I better be on my best.

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

   Even the best of us makes mistakes.

   We're the best of friends.

   • 1994, Otis L. Guernsey and Jeffrey Sweet, The Best Plays of 1993-1994, page vii:

     Mel Gussow reviews the bests of off off Broadway

   • 1995 October, Cincinnati Magazine, [2]:

     But in true Cincinnati style, the bests consistently outnumber the worsts.

   • 2011, G. Edward Evans, Sheila S. Intner, and Jean Riddle Weihs, Introduction to Technical Services, page 149:

     There are the bests for each institution, the bests for coalitions, and, of course, the bests for the group as a whole.

   • 2013, Jesse Jose, Collections Of My Best And Most-Hated, "A Cup O' Kapeng Barako" Writings, page 209:

     If he's one of the bests, he should be fighting the bests, NOT the pipitsugins.

Translations

quality

• Arabic: أفضل‎ m (ʾafḍal)
• French: meilleur (fr) m, meilleure (fr) f
• German: Beste (de) n
• Greek: καλύτερος (el) m (kalýteros)
• Hindi: श्रेष्ठ (hi) (śreṣṭh)
• Icelandic: best
• Italian: migliore (it)
• Japanese: 一番 (ja) (ichiban)
• Korean: 최선 (ko) (choeseon)
• Latin: optimus (la)
• Malay: terbaik
• Maori: pai rawa atu
• Polish: najlepszy (pl)
• Portuguese: melhor (pt)
• Russian: лу́чший (ru) (lúčšij), наилу́чший (ru) (nailúčšij)
• Samoan: sili
• Sanskrit: श्रेष्ठ (sa) (śreṣṭha), वसिष्ठ (sa) (vasiṣṭha)
• Spanish: mejor (es)
• Tamil: சிறந்த (ciṟanta), மிகச்சிறந்த (mikacciṟanta)
• Thai: ดีที่สุด (tiisiisut)
• Ukrainian: найкращий (najkraščyj)

effort

• Finnish: paras (fi), parhain (fi)
• French: mieux (fr) m
• German: Bestes (de) n
• Hungarian: minden tőle telhetőt megtesz, kitesz magáért
• Irish: dícheall m

• Japanese: ベスト (ja) (besuto)
• Norwegian: beste (no)
• Russian: всё возмо́жное n (vsjó vozmóžnoje), лу́чший (ru) (lúčšij)
• Slovak: vrchol, maximum
• Swedish: bästa (sv)
• Turkish: en iyisi

person

• Finnish: paras (fi), parhain (fi), parhaimmisto (fi)
• French: élite (fr), fleur (fr), crème (fr), dessus du panier (fr), meilleur (fr)
• Friulian: miôr
• Galician: elite f
• German: Bester (de) m, Beste (de) f
• Italian: migliore (it)

• Norwegian: best (no)
• Portuguese: melhor (pt) m
• Russian: лу́чший (ru) m (lúčšij)
• Spanish: élite (es), flor (es), nata (es)
• Swedish: bästa (sv), bäste (sv)
• Turkish: en iyisi

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.”

Antonyms

• worst

Translations

to beat

• Bulgarian: вземам връх над (vzemam vrǎh nad)
• Czech: porazit (cs)
• Dutch: slaan (nl), overmeesteren (nl), verslaan (nl), overwinnen (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), battere (it)

• Maori: tārū
• Norwegian: slå (no)
• Russian: превзойти́ (ru) pf (prevzojtí), победи́ть (ru) pf (pobedítʹ)
• Slovak: poraziť
• Spanish: sobrepasar (es), superar (es), vencer (es), rebasar (es), derrotar (es), aventajar (es)
• Swedish: besegra (sv)
• Turkish: aşmak (tr), geçmek (tr)

Related terms

• better
• bestest

Derived terms

• all for the best
• all the best
• as best one can
• at best
• best of the best
• for one's best
• get the best of
• had best
• have the best of
• make the best of
• the best part of
• with the best (of them)

 

Etymology 2

Shortening of had best

Verb

best

1. (modal verb, colloquial) Had best.
   • 1935, Edward Joseph O'Brien, ‎John Cournos, editor, The Best British Short Stories of 1935, page 37:

     'We best be going,' she said, looking at the clock.

   • 2010, Mary B. Morrison, Somebody's Gotta Be On Top:

     Brother, you best be gone when I return.

   It's getting late. You best get on home.

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 at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “best” in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• BTEs, Bets, bets

---

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛst/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: best
• Rhymes: -ɛst

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 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.

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

   Dat zou best kunnen.

   It's quite possible.

Etymology 2

Noun

best f (plural besten, diminutive bestje n)

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

---

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

---

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

Declension of best
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	best	besten	bestar	bestarna
Genitive	bests	bestens	bestars	bestarnas

Anagrams

• bets