least
pronunciation
How to pronounce least in British English:
UK [liːst]
How to pronounce least in American English:
US [liːst]
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- Adjective:
- the superlative of `little' that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by `the'; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
- minimal in magnitude
- having or being distinguished by diminutive size
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- Adverb:
- used to form the superlative
Word Origin
- least
- least: [OE] In origin, least is simply the superlative form of less. The prehistoric Germanic ancestor of less was *laisiz (itself a comparative form). Addition of the superlative suffix produced *laisistaz, which passed into Old English as lǣsest. Unchanged, this would have become in modern English *lessest, but it was contracted in the Old English period to lǣst, and so modern English has least.=> less
- least (adj.)
- Old English læst, earlier læsest "smallest" (superlative of lytel "small"), from Proto-Germanic superlative *laisistaz (see less). Qualifying phrase at least is Middle English æt læstan. As a noun, from early 12c.; as an adverb, c. 1200.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The lobby is the hotel 's least satisfying feature .
- 2. Stop following the path of least resistance .
- 3. Di may be the least discussed and most muddled .
- 4. Dealing with israel sensitively is the least of the tasks that mr obama has set himself on nuclear proliferation .
- 5. Among the three countries with the most gold medals thus far , china cries the least , with only 7 % of its athletes succumbing to tears .