EST
1 Americanabbreviation
abbreviation
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established.
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estate.
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estimate.
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estimated.
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estuary.
abbreviation
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Eastern Standard Time
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electric-shock treatment
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Estonia (international car registration)
abbreviation
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Also: estab. established
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estimate(d)
suffix
suffix
noun
Etymology
Origin of -est2
Middle English; Old English -est, -ost. Compare Greek -isto-
Origin of -est3
Middle English; Old English -est, -ast, -st, 2nd person singular present indicative endings of some verbs ( -s earlier verbal ending + -t, by assimilation from thū thou 1 ) and 2nd person singular past endings of weak verbs (earlier -es + -t )
Compare meaning
How does est compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Which rule,— -er and -est or more and most?
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
Most monosyllabic adverbs add -er and -est to form the comparative and superlative, just as adjectives do; as, high, higher, highest; soon, sooner, soonest.
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
The so-called Northumbrian records of the ninth and tenth centuries frequently use -es instead of -est, in the 2nd pers. preterite of regular verbs, e.g., ðu forcerdes usic on-bec = Thou turnedst us hindward.
From Early English Alliterative Poems in the West-Midland Dialect of the Fourteenth Century by Morris, Richard
The comparative is formed by adding -er, and the superlative by adding -est, to the simple form; as, red, redder, reddest; blue, bluer, bluest; easy, easier, easiest.
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
The general rule is, that monosyllables and easily pronounced words of two syllables add -er and -est; and other words are preceded by more and most.
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.