Hypertext Webster Gateway: "most"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

More \More\, a., compar. [Positive wanting; superl. {Most}.]
[OE. more, mare, and (orig. neut. and adv.) mo, ma, AS.
m[=a]ra, and (as neut. and adv.) m[=a]; akin to D. meer, OS.
m[=e]r, G. mehr, OHG. m[=e]ro, m[=e]r, Icel. meiri, meirr,
Dan. meere, meer, Sw. mera, mer, Goth. maiza, a., mais, adv.,
and perh. to L. major greater, compar. of magnus great, and
magis, adv., more. [root]103. Cf. {Most}, {uch}, {Major}.]
1. Greater; superior; increased; as:
(a) Greater in quality, amount, degree, quality, and the
like; with the singular.

He gat more money. --Chaucer.

If we procure not to ourselves more woe.
--Milton.

Note: More, in this sense, was formerly used in connection
with some other qualifying word, -- a, the, this,
their, etc., -- which now requires the substitution of
greater, further, or the like, for more.

Whilst sisters nine, which dwell on Parnasse
height, Do make them music for their more
delight. --Spenser.

The more part knew not wherefore they were come
together. --Acts xix.
32.

Wrong not that wrong with a more contempt.
--Shak.
(b) Greater in number; exceeding in numbers; -- with the
plural.

The people of the children of Israel are more
and mighter than we. --Ex. i. 9.

2. Additional; other; as, he wept because there were no more
words to conquer.

With open arms received one poet more. --Pope.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Most \Most\, a., superl. of {More}. [OE. most, mast, mest, AS.
m?st; akin to D. meest, OS. m[=e]st, G. meist, Icel. mestr,
Goth. maists; a superl. corresponding to E. more. [root]103.
See {More}, a.]
1. Consisting of the greatest number or quantity; greater in
number or quantity than all the rest; nearly all. ``Most
men will proclaim every one his own goodness.'' --Prov.
xx. 6.

The cities wherein most of his mighty works were
done. --Matt. xi.
20.

2. Greatest in degree; as, he has the most need of it. ``In
the moste pride.'' --Chaucer.

3. Highest in rank; greatest. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Note: Most is used as a noun, the words part, portion,
quantity, etc., being omitted, and has the following
meanings: 1. The greatest value, number, or part;
preponderating portion; highest or chief part. 2. The
utmost; greatest possible amount, degree, or result;
especially in the phrases to make the most of, at the
most, at most.

A quarter of a year or some months at the most.
--Bacon.

A covetous man makes the most of what he has.
--L'Estrange.

{For the most part}, in reference to the larger part of a
thing, or to the majority of the persons, instances, or
things referred to; as, human beings, for the most part,
are superstitious; the view, for the most part, was
pleasing.

{Most an end}, generally. See {An end}, under {End}, n.
[Obs.] ``She sleeps most an end.'' --Massinger.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Most \Most\, adv. [AS. m[=ae]st. See {Most}, a.]
In the greatest or highest degree.

Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites,
were courtiers and prelates. --Milton.

Note: Placed before an adjective or adverb, most is used to
form the superlative degree, being equivalent to the
termination -est; as, most vile, most wicked; most
illustrious; most rapidly. Formerly, and until after
the Elizabethan period of our literature, the use of
the double superlative was common. See {More}, adv.

The most unkindest cut of all. --Shak.

The most straitest sect of our religion. --Acts
xxvi. 5.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Much \Much\, a. [Compar. & superl. wanting, but supplied by
{More}, and {Most}, from another root.] [OE. moche, muche,
miche, prob. the same as mochel, muchel, michel, mikel, fr.
AS. micel, mycel; cf. Gr. ?, fem. ?, great, and Icel.
mj["o]k, adv., much. [root]103. See {Mickle}.]
1. Great in quantity; long in duration; as, much rain has
fallen; much time.

Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and
shalt gather but little in. --Deut.
xxviii. 38.

2. Many in number. [Archaic]

Edom came out against him with much people. --Num.
xx. 20.

3. High in rank or position. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Most \Most\, adv.

{Most-favored-nation clause} (Diplomacy), a clause, often
inserted in treaties, by which each of the contracting
nations binds itself to grant to the other in certain
stipulated matters the same terms as are then, or may be
thereafter, granted to the nation which receives from it
the most favorable terms in respect of those matters.

There was a ``most-favored-nation'' clause with
provisions for the good treatment of strangers
entering the Republic. --James Bryce.

Steam navigation was secured by the Japanese as far
as Chungking, and under the most-favored-nation
clause the right accrued to us. --A. R.
Colquhoun.
Mother's Day \Moth"er's Day\
A day appointed for the honor and uplift of motherhood by the
loving remembrance of each person of his mother through the
performance of some act of kindness, visit, tribute, or
letter. The founder of the day is Anna Jarvis, of
Philadelphia, who designated the second Sunday in May, or for
schools the second Friday, as the time, and a white carnation
as the badge.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

most
adj 1: (superlative of `many' used with count nouns; often preceded
by `the') quantifier meaning the greatest in number;
"who has the most apples?"; "most people like eggs";
"most fishes have fins" [syn: {most(a)}] [ant: {fewest(a)}]
2: (superlative of `much' used with mass nouns; usually
preceded by `the') quantifier meaning the greatest in
amount or extent or degree; used with mass nouns; usually
follows `the'; "made the most money he could"; "what
attracts the most attention?"; "made the most of a bad
deal" [syn: {most(a)}] [ant: {least(a)}]
adv 1: used to form the superlative; "the king cobra is the most
dangerous snake" [syn: {to the highest degree}] [ant:
{least}]
2: (intensifier) very; "a most welcome relief"
3: (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite
accomplished; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby
was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost
finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly
fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording
is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed
the contract"; (`near' is used informally for `nearly' as
in "I was near exhausted by the run"; `most' is used
informally for `almost' as in "most everybody agrees")
[syn: {about}, {just about}, {almost}, {all but}, {nearly},
{near}, {nigh}, {virtually}, {well-nigh}]


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