Etymograph

English

almost

Almost comes from Old English eallmǣst ‘nearly all, almost, for the most part’, from eall ‘all’ + mǣst ‘most’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *maiz ‘more’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₂-‘good’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maiz‘more’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maistazreconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maist‘most’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150mǣst
  7. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150eallmǣst‘nearly all’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500almost
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1897same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₂-‘good’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maiz‘more’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maistazreconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maist‘most’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150mǣst
  7. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150eallmǣst‘nearly all’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500almost
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1897same form

Earliest quotation: 1897, Winston Churchill: “Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he…”

Formed from al- ‘all’ + most

Proto-Germanic *maistaz ‘most, greatest (superlative of *mikilaz)’

Proto-West Germanic *maist

Old English mǣst ‘most, biggest’

Middle English most

English most

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- ‘good, great’

mature, maturity, mat, mistress, maturation, maduro, matinee, demure, matin, mañana, magisterial, 20 more

through Proto-Germanic *maiz ‘more, to a greater degree’

mo, 1 more

through Old English mǣst

mast, 1 more

Today it means

adv Very close to, but not quite.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- / almost

Shirt and support for this word