Most
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
most
adv 1: used to form the superlative; "the king cobra is the most
dangerous snake" [syn: {most}, {to the highest degree}]
[ant: {least}, {to the lowest degree}]
2: very; "a most welcome relief"
3: (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite
accomplished; all but; "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"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone
agrees" [syn: {about}, {almost}, {most}, {nearly}, {near},
{nigh}, {virtually}, {well-nigh}]
adj 1: (superlative of `many' used with count nouns and often
preceded by `the') quantifier meaning the greatest in
number; "who has the most apples?"; "most people like
eggs"; "most fishes have fins" [ant: {fewest(a)}]
2: the superlative of `much' that can be used with mass nouns
and is usually preceded by `the'; a quantifier meaning the
greatest in amount or extent or degree; "made the most money
he could"; "what attracts the most attention?"; "made the
most of a bad deal" [ant: {least(a)}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Much \Much\ (m[u^]ch), a. [Compar. & superl. wanting, but
supplied by {More} (m[=o]r), and {Most} (m[=o]st), from
another root.] [OE. moche, muche, miche, prob. the same as
mochel, muchel, michel, mikel, fr. AS. micel, mycel; cf. Gr.
me`gas, fem. mega`lh, 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.
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Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and
shalt gather but little in. --Deut.
xxviii. 38.
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2. Many in number. [Archaic]
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Edom came out against him with much people. --Num.
xx. 20.
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3. High in rank or position. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Most \Most\, adv. [AS. m[=ae]st. See {Most}, a.]
In the greatest or highest degree.
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Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites,
were courtiers and prelates. --Milton.
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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.
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The most unkindest cut of all. --Shak.
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The most straitest sect of our religion. --Acts
xxvi. 5.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Most \Most\ (m[=o]st), a., superl. of {More}. [OE. most, mast,
mest, AS. m[=ae]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.
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The cities wherein most of his mighty works were
done. --Matt. xi.
20.
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2. Greatest in degree; as, he has the most need of it. "In
the moste pride." --Chaucer.
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3. Highest in rank; greatest. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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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.
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A quarter of a year or some months at the most.
--Bacon.
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A covetous man makes the most of what he has.
--L'Estrange.
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{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.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
More \More\, a., compar. [Positive wanting; superl. {Most}
(m[=o]st).] [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.
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He gat more money. --Chaucer.
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If we procure not to ourselves more woe.
--Milton.
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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.
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Whilst sisters nine, which dwell on Parnasse
height,
Do make them music for their more delight.
--Spenser.
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The more part knew not wherefore they were come
together. --Acts xix.
32.
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Wrong not that wrong with a more contempt.
--Shak.
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(b) Greater in number; exceeding in numbers; -- with the
plural.
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The people of the children of Israel are more
and mightier than we. --Ex. i. 9.
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2. Additional; other; as, he wept because there were no more
worlds to conquer.
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With open arms received one poet more. --Pope.
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from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
172 Moby Thesaurus words for "most":
A per se, a outrance, about, absolutely, ace, acme, all but,
all out, almost, approximately, at the height, at the limit,
authority, authorization, be-all and end-all, best, best part,
better, better part, beyond all bounds, beyond compare,
beyond comparison, beyond measure, blue ribbon, body, boss, bulk,
champion, championship, chief, command, commander, completely,
control, dead, dean, directorship, dominion, downright,
effectiveness, egregiously, eminently, essence, essentially,
exceedingly, extreme, extremely, far and away, far out,
first place, first prize, first-class, first-rate, flat out,
fugleman, fundamentally, furthest, generality, genius, gist,
gravamen, greater, greatest, head, headship, hegemony, height,
higher-up, highest, immeasurably, imperium, in the extreme,
incalculably, incomparably, indefinitely, infinitely, influence,
inimitably, jurisdiction, kingship, laureate, leader, leadership,
lordship, main body, major part, majority, management, mass,
master, mastership, mastery, maximal, maximum, meat, mightily,
more than half, mortally, much, ne plus ultra, nearabout, new high,
nigh, nonpareil, palms, par excellence, paragon, paramountcy,
paramountly, perfectly, plurality, power, practically,
preeminently, preponderance, preponderancy, presidency, primacy,
principal, prodigy, prominently, purely, radical, radically,
record, remarkably, rule, ruler, say, senior, sovereignty, star,
substance, super, superior, superlative, superlatively, superman,
superstar, supremacy, supreme, supremely, surpassingly, sway,
the greatest, the greatest number, the most, thrust, tip-top,
to crown all, too, too much, top, top dog, top spot, top-notch,
topmost, totally, transcendently, ultra, ultra-ultra,
unconditionally, unequivocally, uppermost, utmost, utterly,
uttermost, virtuoso, way out, well-nigh, with a vengeance,
zenith
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