-st

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English -st; see -est.

Suffix

-st

1. (archaic) Verb suffix for the second-person singular; Alternative form of -est
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     Thou com'st to use thy tongue.

Etymology 2

From the written form of first; see further etymology there.

Suffix

-st

1. Marks ordinals written in digits when the final term of the spelled number is "first"

   the 21st century

Coordinate terms

• -nd
• -rd
• -th

Translations

Etymology 3

-s +‎ -t of excrescent suffixes, with -s sometimes genitive.

Suffix

-st

1. Excrescent suffix (adding sound but largely not changing the meaning).

   ‎among + ‎-st → ‎amongst

   ‎mid + ‎-st → ‎midst

   ‎while + ‎-st → ‎whilst

Usage notes

When there is a shorter synonymous word (as in amongst/among), the form with -st is generally considered more formal, old-fashioned or affected in American English; whereas both are usually interchangeable in British English.

However, against is distinct in meaning from again, and midst is used in some contexts distinctly from mid.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• T's, TS, Ts, t's, ts

Dutch

Etymology 1

The suffix -st consists of two parts: a suffix -t (Proto-Indo-European *-ti) and an inserted -s-. The -s- is the result of a wrong segmentation of stem and suffix of a noun in cases where the stem of the noun ended with -s-. For example: a word like Dutch vorst (“frost”) could be interpreted as vors+t or as vor+st. This suffix existed already in Gothic (𐌰𐌽𐍃𐍄𐍃 (ansts), from 𐌿𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (unnan)).

Suffix

-st f (plural -sten)

1. appended to the stem of a verb, this suffix yields a verbal noun; it is similar in function to the Dutch suffix -ing

Derived terms

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Suffix

-st

1. appended to an adjective this suffix forms the superlative

   vreemd (“strange”) → vreemdst (“strangest”)

References

Estonian

Suffix

-st

1. partitive singular of -ne

Faroese

Etymology

Old Norse -sk, reduced form of the reflexive pronoun sik (whence Faroese seg).

Suffix

-st

1. turns verbs into middle voice verbs

Derived terms

German

Etymology 1

From Middle High German -est, from older -es through rebracketing in inverted forms like sizzes du → sizzestu → sizzest du (“do you sit”). Further from a merger of various Old High German conjugation suffixes, from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /t/ (alternatively after -sch-)
• IPA^(key): /s/ (central-western Germany, chiefly informal)
• IPA^(key): /ʃ/ (south-western Germany and Switzerland, chiefly informal)

Suffix

-st

1. Verb suffix for the second-person singular.

   ‎lachen (“to laugh”) + ‎-st → ‎du lachst (“you laugh, thou laughest”)

   ‎spielen (“to play”) + ‎-st → ‎du spielst (“you play, thou playest”)

Usage notes

• In the present tense, the suffix becomes -t after s, ß, x, z: du schießt. After sch the spelling -t is standard only in Austria and South Tyrol, but the according pronunciation is common in most regions: du wäschst or wäscht.
• The suffix becomes -est after d, t: du wartest. However, strong verbs with a vowel change have -st: du rätst. In obsolete usage the form -est was employed more freely also after other sounds.
• In the strong past tense, -est is used after sibilants: du schossest. However, when the preceding vowel is long the form -t is possible alternatively: du aßest or aßt. After d, t the forms -est and -st are used in free variation: du rittest or rittst.

Etymology 2

From Middle High German -est, from a merger of Old High German -ist and -ōst, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz and *-ōstaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st/

Suffix

-st

1. Forms superlatives of adjectives and adverbs, sometimes triggering umlaut.

   ‎klein (“small”) + ‎-st → ‎der kleinste (“the smallest”)

   ‎lang (“long”) + ‎-st → ‎der längste (“the longest”)

   ‎herzlich (“cordially”) + ‎-st → ‎am herzlichsten (“most cordially”)

   ‎schleunig (“speedily”) + ‎-st → ‎schleunigst (“straight away”)

Usage notes

• Attributive superlatives are declined like other adjectives. Predicative and adverbial superlatives generally take the particle am before them and are accordingly declined in the neuter dative singular. Some adjectives/adverbs also have basic forms in -st, but these are generally lexicalised.
• The suffix becomes -est after sibilants s, sch, ß, x, z and after d, t when the adjective has final stress: der kürzeste, weiteste (though der kürzte, weitste may be heard colloquially and the same is standard in der größte). When the last vowel is /ə/ or unstressed /ɪ/ the short form is used: der geeignetste, sympathischste. After other unstressed vowels both ways are possible: der elendeste or elendste.
• The forms -st and -est are also both possible after stressed final vowels and after consonant clusters (except those involving -r-). Thus: der neueste or neuste, der schlankeste or schlankste. The formal language prefers the long forms while the vernacular prefer the short ones.

Derived terms

Hungarian

Etymology

From -s (adjective-forming suffix) +‎ -t (locative suffix) in the Old Hungarian period. The adverbial sense of the locative suffix -t can be shown only in this -st morpheme.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Suffix

-st

1. (adverb-forming suffix) Forms an adverb of manner.

Usage notes

• (adverb-forming suffix) Variants:

  -st

  -est

  ‎öröm (“joy”) + ‎-est → ‎örömest (“with joy”)

• It is no longer productive and can be found only in a few adverbs: bízvást, egyenest, fogvást, folyvást, folyton-folyvást, homlokegyenest, képest, mármost, mihelyst, most, nézvést, oldalvást, óvást, örömest, rögvest, szemlátomást, üstöllést, valamelyest, vegyest.

Derived terms

References

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse -sk, reduced form of the reflexive pronoun sik (whence Icelandic sig).

Suffix

-st

1. turns verbs into middle voice verbs

Derived terms

See also

• Appendix:Icelandic middle voice verbs
• Category:Icelandic middle voice verbs

Ingrian

Etymology 1

Uncertain:

• Possibly identical to the elative marker (see below), exhibiting an archaic function of the elative, found also in archaic or dialectal Finnish -sta.
• Alternatively, from Proto-Finnic *-stik, reanalysed as identical to the elative marker after vowel reduction. In this case akin to Finnish -sti and Estonian -sti.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-stɑ/, , /-stæ/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-st/,

Suffix

-st

1. Used to form adverbs of manner from adjectives; -ly

Usage notes

• In the Soikkola dialect, may trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *-sta. Cognates include Finnish -sta and Estonian -st.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-stɑ/, , /-stæ/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-st/,

Suffix

-st

1. Used to form the elative case; out of

Usage notes

• In the Soikkola dialect, may trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.

Inflection

References

• V. I. Junus (1936) Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 43

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Middle High German -est, from Old High German -ist, -ōst, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz, *-ōstaz.

The expected form would be -scht as still in bescht (“best”) and meescht (“most”). The form -st is native in the northern third of Luxembourg and spread southwards, probably in part because the suffix is used in positions where /ʃ/ otherwise does not occur, and in part under the reinforcing influence of standard German.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st/

Suffix

-st

1. Forms the superlative of adjectives; -est

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch -ist, -ost, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz, *-ōstaz.

Suffix

-st

1. Forms the superlative of adjectives; -est

Derived terms

See Category:Middle Dutch adjective superlative forms.

Related terms

• -er

Descendants

• Dutch: -st