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Webster 1913 Edition

Last

Last

(lȧst)
,
3d p
ers.
s
ing.
p
res.
of
Last
, to endure, contracted from
lasteth
.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Last

(lȧst)
,
Adj.
[OE.
last
,
latst
, contr. of
latest
, superl. of
late
; akin to OS.
lezt
,
lazt
,
last
, D.
laatst
, G.
letzt.
See
Late
, and cf.
Latest
.]
1.
Being after all the others, similarly classed or considered, in time, place, or order of succession; following all the rest; final; hindmost; farthest;
as, the
last
year of a century; the
last
man in a line of soldiers; the
last
page in a book; his last chance
.
Also day by day, from the first day unto the
last
day, he read in the book of the law of God.
Neh. viii. 18.
Fairest of stars,
last
in the train of night.
Milton.
2.
Next before the present;
as, I saw him
last
week
.
3.
Supreme; highest in degree; utmost.
Contending for principles of the
last
importance.
R. Hall.
4.
Lowest in rank or degree;
as, the a
last
place finish
.
Pope.
5.
Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or condition; most unlikely; having least fitness;
as, he is the
last
person to be accused of theft
.
At last
,
at the end of a certain period; after delay.
“The duke of Savoy felt that the time had at last arrived.”
Motley.
–
At the last
.
[Prob. fr. AS.
on lāste
behind, following behind, fr.
lāst
race, track, footstep. See
Last
mold of the foot.]
At the end; in the conclusion.
[Obs.]
“Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last.”
Gen. xlix. 19.
–
Last heir
,
the person to whom lands escheat for lack of an heir.
[Eng.]
Abbott.
–
On one’s last legs
,
at, or near, the end of one's resources; hence, on the verge of failure or ruin, especially in a financial sense.
[Colloq.]
–
To breathe one's last
,
to die.
–
To the last
,
to the end; till the conclusion.
Syn. –
At Last
,
At Length
.
These phrases both denote that some delayed end or result has been reached. At length implies that a long period was spent in so doing; as, after a voyage of more than three months, we at Length arrived safe. At last commonly implies that something has occurred (as interruptions, disappointments, etc.) which leads us to emphasize the idea of having reached the end; as, in spite of every obstacle, we have at last arrived.

Last

(lȧst)
,
adv.
[See
Last
,
Adj.
]
1.
At a time or on an occasion which is the latest of all those spoken of or which have occurred; the last time;
as, I saw him
last
in New York
.
2.
In conclusion; finally; lastly.
Pleased with his idol, he commends, admires,
Adores; and,
last
, the thing adored desires.
Dryden.
3.
At a time next preceding the present time.
How long is't now since
last
yourself and I
Were in a mask ?
Shakespeare

Last

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Lasted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Lasting
.]
[OE.
lasten
, As.
læstan
to perform, execute, follow, last, continue, fr.
lāst
,
lǣst
, trace, footstep, course; akin to G.
leisten
to perform, Goth.
laistjan
to follow. See
Last
mold of the foot.]
1.
To continue in time; to endure; to remain in existence.
[I] proffered me to be slave in all that she me would ordain while my life
lasted
.
Testament of Love.
2.
To endure use, or continue in existence, without impairment or exhaustion;
as, this cloth
lasts
better than that; the fuel will
last
through the winter.

Last

,
Noun.
[AS.
lāst
trace, track, footstep; akin to D.
leest
a last, G.
leisten
, Sw.
läst
, Dan.
læst
, Icel.
leistr
the foot below the ankle, Goth.
laists
track, way; from a root signifying, to go. Cf.
Last
,
Verb.
I.
,
Learn
,
Delirium
.]
A wooden block shaped like the human foot, on which boots and shoes are formed.
The cobbler is not to go beyond his
last
.
L'Estrange.
Darning last
,
a smooth, hard body, often egg-shaped, put into a stocking to preserve its shape in darning.

Last

,
Verb.
T.
To shape with a last; to fasten or fit to a last; to place smoothly on a last;
as, to
last
a boot
.

Last

,
Noun.
[As.
hlæst
, fr.
hladan
to lade; akin to OHG.
hlast
, G., D., Dan., & Sw.
last
: cf. F.
laste
,
last
, a last, of German or Dutch origin. See
Lade
.]
1.
A load; a heavy burden; hence, a certain weight or measure, generally estimated at 4,000 lbs., but varying for different articles and in different countries. In England, a
last
of codfish, white herrings, meal, or ashes, is twelve barrels; a
last
of corn, ten quarters, or eighty bushels, in some parts of England, twenty-one quarters; of gunpowder, twenty-four barrels, each containing 100 lbs; of red herrings, twenty cades, or 20,000; of hides, twelve dozen; of leather, twenty dickers; of pitch and tar, fourteen barrels; of wool, twelve sacks; of flax or feathers, 1,700 lbs.
2.
The burden of a ship; a cargo.

Webster 1828 Edition

Last

L'AST

,
Adj.
[See Late and Let.]
1.
That comes after all the others; the latest; applied to time; as the last hour of the day; the last day of the year.
2.
That follows all the others; that is behind all the others in place; hindmost; as, this was the last man that entered the church.
3.
Beyond which there is no more.
Here, last of Britons, let your names be read.
4.
Next before the present; as the last week; the last year.
5.
Utmost.
Their last endeavors bend, T' outshine each other.
It is an object of the last importance.
6.
Lowest; meanest.
Antilochus takes the lst prize.
At last, at the last, at the end; in the conclusion.
Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last. Gen. 49.
To the last, to the end; till the conclusion.
And blunder on in business to the last.
In the phrases, 'you are the last man I should consult' 'this is the last place in which I should expect to find you,' the word last implies improbability; this is the most improbable place, and therefore I should resort to it last.

L'AST

, adv.
1.
The last time; the time before the present. I saw him last at New York.
2.
In conclusion; finally.
Pleased with his idol, he commends, admires, adores; and last, the thing adored desires.

L'AST

,
Verb.
I.
[See Let.]
1.
To continue in time; to endure; to remain in existence. Our government cannot last long unless administered by honest men.
2.
To continue unimpaired; not to decay or perish. Select for winter the best apples to last. This color will last.
3.
To hold out; to continue unconsumed. The captain knew he had not water on board to last a week.

L'AST

,
Noun.
[See Load.]
A load; hence, a certain weight or measure. A last of codfish, white herrings, meal, and ashes, is twelve barrels; a last of corn is ten quarters or eighty bushels; of gun powder, twenty four barrels; of red herrings, twenty cades; of hides, twelve dozen; of leather, twenty dickers; of pitch and tar, fourteen barrels; of wool, twelve sacks; of flax or feathers, 1700 pounds.

L'AST

, n.
A mold or form of the human foot, made of wood, on which shoes are formed.
The cobbler is not to go beyond his last.

Definition 2024

Last

Last

See also: last, lȧ̃st, läst, and låst

German

Noun

Last f ‎(genitive Last, plural Lasten)

  1. load
    • 1921, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Trommel, in Weberin Schuld, G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 18:
      Und sie ging gebückt, als trage sie eine schwere Last, […]
      And she walked bowed as if she carried a heavy load, […]

Declension

Derived terms

last

last

See also: Last, lȧ̃st, läst, and låst

English

Adjective

last ‎(not comparable)

  1. Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
    “Eyes Wide Shut” was the last film to be directed by Stanley Kubrick.‎
  2. Most recent, latest, last so far.
    • 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
      In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year.
    The last time I saw him, he was married.‎
    I have received your note dated the 17th last, and am responding to say that […] ‎.   (archaic usage)
  3. Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or condition; most unlikely, or least preferable.
    He is the last person to be accused of theft.
    The last person I want to meet is Helen.‎
    More rain is the last thing we need right now.‎
  4. Being the only one remaining of its class.
    Japan is the last empire.‎
  5. Supreme; highest in degree; utmost.
    • R. Hall
      Contending for principles of the last importance.
  6. Lowest in rank or degree.
    the last prize
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Alexander Pope to this entry?)
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Determiner

last

  1. The (one) immediately before the present.
    Last night the moon was full.
    We went there last year.
    Last Tuesday was Hallowe'en.
    (Discuss(+) this sense) Last time we talked about this was in January.
  2. (of a day of the week) Closest to seven days (one week) ago.
    It's Wednesday, and the party was last Tuesday; that is, not yesterday, but eight days ago.
Usage notes
  • (both senses): This cannot be used in past or future tense to refer to a time immediately before the subject matter. For example, one does not say I was very tired yesterday, due to not having slept well last night: last night in that sentence refers to the night before the speaker is speaking, not the night before the "yesterday" to which he refers. He would need to say I was very tired yesterday, due to not having slept well the night before or the like.
Translations

Adverb

last ‎(not comparable)

  1. Most recently.
    When we last met, he was based in Toronto.
    • Shakespeare
      How long is't now since last yourself and I / Were in a mask?
  2. (sequence) after everything else; finally
    I'll go last.
    last but not least
    • Dryden
      Pleased with his idol, he commends, admires, / Adores; and, last, the thing adored desires.
Synonyms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan, from Proto-Germanic *laistijaną. Cognate with German leisten ‎(“yield”).

Verb

last ‎(third-person singular simple present lasts, present participle lasting, simple past and past participle lasted)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To perform, carry out.
  2. (intransitive) To endure, continue over time.
    Summer seems to last longer each year.‎
    They seem happy now, but that won't last long.‎
    • 1915, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, chapter I:
      Thus the red damask curtains which now shut out the fog-laden, drizzling atmosphere of the Marylebone Road, had cost a mere song, and yet they might have been warranted to last another thirty years. A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; […].
  3. (intransitive) To hold out, continue undefeated or entire.
    I don't know how much longer we can last without reinforcements.‎
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Various lasts, circa 1930.

Old English læste, Proto-Germanic *laistiz.

Noun

last ‎(plural lasts)

  1. A tool for shaping or preserving the shape of shoes.
    • 2006, Newman, Cathy, Every Shoe Tells a Story, National Geographic (September, 2006), 83,
      How is an in-your-face black leather thigh-high lace-up boot with a four-inch spike heel like a man's black calf lace-up oxford? They are both made on a last, the wood or plastic foot-shaped form that leather is stretched over and shaped to make a shoe.
Derived terms
  • cobbler, keep to your last
Translations
References

Verb

last ‎(third-person singular simple present lasts, present participle lasting, simple past and past participle lasted)

  1. To shape with a last; to fasten or fit to a last; to place smoothly on a last.
    to last a boot

Etymology 4

From Middle English last, from Old English hlæst ‎(“burden, load, freight”), from Proto-Germanic *hlastuz ‎(“burden, load, freight”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- ‎(“to put, lay out”). Cognate with West Frisian lêst, Dutch last, German Last, Swedish last, Icelandic lest.

Noun

last ‎(plural lasts)

  1. (obsolete) A burden; load; a cargo; freight.
  2. (obsolete) A measure of weight or quantity, varying in designation depending on the goods concerned.
    • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, page 114:
      Now we so quietly followed our businesse, that in three moneths wee made three or foure Last of Tarre, Pitch, and Sope ashes [...].
    • 1866, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, Volume 1, page 169,
      The last of wool is twelve sacks.
  3. (obsolete) An old English (and Dutch) measure of the carrying capacity of a ship, equal to two tons.
  4. A load of some commodity with reference to its weight and commercial value.
Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: under · same · take · #136: last · here · thought · found

Anagrams

Danish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /last/, [lasd̥]

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German last.

Noun

last c (singular definite lasten, plural indefinite laster)

  1. cargo
  2. cargo hold, hold (cargo area)
  3. weight, burden
Inflection
Synonyms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse lǫstr

Noun

last c (singular definite lasten, plural indefinite laster)

  1. vice
Inflection

Etymology 3

See laste ‎(“to load, carry”) and laste ‎(“to blame”).

Verb

last

  1. imperative of laste

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɑst

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hlastuz.

Noun

last m ‎(plural lasten, diminutive lastje n)

  1. expense
  2. load, burden
  3. hindrance, problem
  4. (dated) A measure of volume, 3 cubic meter

Derived terms

Verb

last

  1. second- and third-person singular present indicative of lassen
  2. (archaic) plural imperative of lassen

Anagrams

Estonian

Noun

last

  1. Partitive singular form of laps.

Faroese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /last/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse lǫstr

Noun

last f (genitive singular lastar, plural lastir)

  1. vice
Inflection
Declension of last
f2 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative last lastin lastir lastirnar
accusative last lastina lastir lastirnar
dative last lastini lastum lastunum
genitive lastar lastarinnar lasta lastanna

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German last.

Noun

last f (genitive singular lastar, plural lastir)

  1. cargo
  2. cargo hold, hold (cargo area)
Inflection
Declension of last
f2 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative last lastin lastir lastirnar
accusative last lastina lastir lastirnar
dative last lastini lastum lastunum
genitive lastar lastarinnar lasta lastanna

German

Verb

last

  1. Second-person singular preterite of lesen.
  2. Second-person plural preterite of lesen.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German last

Noun

last f, m ‎(definite singular lasta or lasten, indefinite plural laster, definite plural lastene)

  1. a load or cargo
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Verb

last

  1. imperative of laste

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German last

Noun

last f, m ‎(definite singular lasta or lasten, indefinite plural laster or lastar, definite plural lastene or lastane)

  1. a load or cargo

Derived terms

References

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *laistaz, along with the feminine variant lǣst. Cognate with Middle Dutch leest (Dutch leest), Old High German leist (German Leist), Old Norse leistr ‎(“foot, sock”) (Swedish läst, Danish læst).

Pronunciation

Noun

lāst m ‎(nominative plural lāstas)

  1. footstep, track

Related terms

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *volstь.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈláːst/
  • Tonal orthography: lȃst

Noun

lást f ‎(genitive lastí, uncountable)

  1. property

Declension

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

last c

  1. cargo
  2. load; a burden
  3. load; a certain amount that can be processed at one time
  4. (engineering) load; a force on a structure
  5. (electrical engineering) load; any component that draws current or power
  6. habit which is difficult to get rid of, vice
    Rökning var hans enda last

Declension

Inflection of last 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative last lasten laster lasterna
Genitive lasts lastens lasters lasternas

See also

Etymology

From Middle High German last, from Old High German last, hlast, from Proto-Germanic *hlastuz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /last/
  • Homophone: lasst

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