least
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
least¹
- /liːst/ UK
- /list/ US
Sounds like leased · Rhymes with -iːst
Where it comes from
The adjective, determiner, and noun are derived from Middle English leste, lest, last (“(adjective) smallest, least; (noun) smallest thing, etc.; person or thing least in importance; etc.”), from Old English lǣst, a contraction of læsast, læsest (“least”) (also lærest in only one source), from Proto-Germanic *laisistaz (“smallest, least”), from *laisiz (“less”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-; whence modern English less) + *-istaz (“suffix forming superlative forms of some adjectives”).
The adverb and pronoun are derived from the adjective or determiner.
cognates
* Old Frisian leist
* Old Saxon lēs
adjective
- Chiefly used with abstract nouns: less than all others in extent or size; littlest, smallest. least common multiple
- Of two or more animals or plants with the same name: the smaller or smallest. least weasel
- Lowest in importance or status; most insignificant or unimportant. [M]ans reaſon is ſo farre off from being the meaſurer of faith, vvhich very far exceedeth nature, that it is not ſo much as the meaſurer of nature, & of the leaſt creatures vvhich lie farre vnderneath man; becauſe of the ignorance and vntovvardnes vvhich is in vs and raigneth in vs.
- Followed by an agent noun: of a person: who does some action to the smallest degree.
determiner
- Smallest in amount or extent. He earns the least money in his family.
-
Followed by a plural noun: the smallest number of; the fewest.
Whichever queue contains the least items by the time this logic branch is reached will be executed first.
Opposite: most
- Any, no matter how small in amount or extent. not even the least amount
adverb
noun leasts
- Preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little; the lowest-ranking or most insignificant person or (sometimes) group of people. even the least of
- Something of the smallest possible extent; an indivisible unit; a minimum.
pronoun
- Chiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little; the smallest amount or extent of something. I’m giving least of all towards her present.
least²
- /liːst/ UK
- /list/ US
Sounds like leased · Rhymes with -iːst
Where it comes from
Contraction of at least.
phrase 'least
- At least. “Why he took and dipped his hand in a rotten stump where the rain water was.” “In the day time?” “Certainly.” “With his face to the stump?” “Yes. Least I reckon so.”
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: minimal, minimum, small, lowest, slightest, smallest, equally, even, youngest, than, anyway, within, most, more, latest, certainly
Translations
Every language
det smallest in amount or extent
| Español | mínimo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 가장 적게 gajang jeokge |
| 日本語 | 最小の saishō no |
| 中文 | 至少 zhìshǎo, 最少 zuìshǎo, 最小 zuìxiǎo |
| Português | mínimo |
| Français | le moindre, le plus petit |
| Deutsch | geringst, kleinst, minimalst |
| Italiano | minimo |
| Русский | наиме́ньший naiménʹšij |
| العربية | أَقَلَّ ʔaqalla |
adv in a degree below all others; in the lowest or smallest degree
| Español | lo más mínimo, menos |
|---|---|
| Français | moindre, moins |
| Italiano | meno |
Talk about this word "least." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/least. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. least. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/least "least." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/least.Cite this
@misc{least_2026,
title = {least},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/least},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
