“most” – English explanatory dictionary

adj the largest number of ○ Most people go on holiday in the summer. ○ He spends most evenings watching TV. ○ Most apples are sweet. ■ pron a very large number or amount ○ Most of the work was done by my wife. ○ She spent most of the evening on the phone to her sister. ○ It rained for most of our holiday. ○ Most of the children in the group can ride bikes. □ to make the most of something to get as much profit or value from something as possible ○ You should make the most of the warm weather before the snows come. □ at the most no more than ○ There were twenty people at the most in the theatre. ■ adv 1. making the superlative ○ She’s the most intelligent child in the class. ○ The most important thing if you are a sales representative is to be able to drive a car. 2. very ○ I find it most frustrating that the train service is so slow. ○ Most probably the plane will be held up by the fog. ○ Thank you, you are most kind. (NOTE: Most is used to form the superlative of adjectives which do not take the ending -est.)

(most), a., superl. of More. [OE. most, mast, mest, AS. maest; akin to D. meest, OS. mest, G. meist, Icel. mestr, Goth. maists; a superl. corresponding to E. more. rad.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. 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.

adv. [AS. maest. See Most, a.] In the greatest or highest degree. “Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites, were courtiers and prelates.” Milton. 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.

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.