I. ˈlast, -aa(ə)-, -ai-, -ȧ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan to last, follow, perform; akin to Old High German leisten to perform, Gothic laistjan to follow; denominative from the root of Old English lāst footprint — more at last VI
intransitive verb
1. : to continue in time : go on
the meeting lasted till late in the evening
winter lasts from December to March — American Guide Series: Nevada
2.
a.
(1) : to continue in pristine, fresh, or unimpaired condition : go on or remain without loss of quality or effectiveness : survive , endure
that paint job will last a long time
it is a book that will last — K.S.Latourette
(2) : to continue to be available
half price while they last
b. : to manage to continue (as in a particular status, position, course of action) : stick it out : hold out
once I lasted without them for seven weeks — Monica Sheridan
he won't last ; he'll quit before the week's out
c. : to continue to live
he will not last very much longer — James Dennis
couldn't have lasted … five minutes — Lyle Saxon
transitive verb
1. : to continue in existence or action as long as or longer than : sustain , survive , endure
if, of course, he lasted the war — Wirt Williams
— often used with out
cattle which could last out the drives — S.E.Fletcher
could not last out the apprenticeship — Whitcomb Crichton
2. : to suffice for the needs of
on these two courses is golf to last you a lifetime — Judson Philips
Synonyms: see continue
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English last, latst, from Old English latost; akin to Old High German lezzisto last, Old Norse latastr slowest; superl. of the adjective represented by Old English læt late, slow — more at late
1.
a. : being, occurring, or coming after all others in time, place, or order of succession : following all the rest
the last one out will please shut the door
the last two days of the month
was saying some last word to her — Scott Fitzgerald
— sometimes used with an ordinal number to indicate position before the extreme end of a series
the second last paragraph on the page
b. : being the only remaining
the last stronghold of Atlantic salmon in the United States — Pete Barrett
2. : of or relating to the terminal stage or point (as of life) : final
buried with impressive last rites
comforted his last hours
specifically : administered to one dying — used of the sacraments of penance, viaticum, and extreme unction
3. : next before the present : most recent : latest
last week
his last book
4.
a.
(1) : lowest in rank or degree
dead last in the five-paper Chicago field — Newsweek
(2) : lowest in quality : worst
thieving is the last crime — Augusta Gregory
b. : farthest of all from a specified quality or condition : most unlikely
all good men, and the last to condone any form of vice — Norman Douglas
5.
a. : conclusive , definitive
the last explanation of all rational belief in concrete matters — Father Zeno
b. : highest in degree : extreme , utmost , supreme
exposed to the last term of contempt — Malcolm Cowley
the last enduringness is reserved … for those odd chaps who discover things like the Pythagorean theorem — Clifton Fadiman
c. : single — used as an intensive
every last square inch of good land — James Reach
every last thing was the best of its kind — Frances G. Patton
Synonyms:
latest , concluding , final , terminal , ultimate , eventual : last designates that which comes at the end of a series; it may imply that no more will follow or it may simply indicate that which has most recently occurred or been in existence
the last page of the book
the last days of his life
his last book was successful and he is planning another
that's my last duchess painted on the wall — Robert Browning
latest , superlative of late, is often used in preference to last to indicate the most recent in situations in which late is unlikely to mean tardy or delayed
his latest book
the latest news
the latest fashion in dresses
concluding describes that which brings something to a conclusion
repeating his main points in his concluding remarks
final emphasizes definite, decisive closing or ending of a series or process
a final examination
a final decree of divorce
while sacrifices accepted as final emerged as nothing more than rehearsals for greater sacrifices to come — M.W.Straight
judgment that is final, that settles a matter — John Dewey
terminal may indicate a limit or stopping point or mark beyond which a thing does not continue
a soldier on terminal leave
the terminal r of bar and car
a disease in its terminal stages
ultimate describes a last element, stage, or event that is the outcome of a long process, often the most remote or the most important development
the earth's refrigeration and the ultimate collapse of our solar system — L.P.Smith
the word came into English from French but its ultimate source is Arabic
control or occupation by Nazi forces of any islands of the Atlantic would jeopardize the immediate safety of portions of North and South America, and of the island possessions of the United States, and the ultimate safety of the continental United States itself — F.D.Roosevelt
eventual while lacking implications of finality in sequence, indicates inevitability or probability of future occurrence even if after a very long period, or the actual fact of occurrence often after a very long period
the belief that science shows man to be only an accident and an incident in a cosmic order that is moving toward eventual lifeless rest — C.C.Walcutt
the eventual emergence of a science of grammar had been prepared for by generations of curious inquiry and practical endeavor — Benjamin Farrington
•
- on one's last legs
III. adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English latost; akin to Old High German lazzōst, adverb, last; adverb from the superlative adjective represented by Old English latost, adjective — more at last II
1. : after all others in time, place, or succession : at the end
last came the foot soldiers and supply trains
ranks last in my estimation
2. : on the most recent occasion : most lately
saw him last in New York
3. : in conclusion : finally
last , I wish to consider the economic outlook
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English last, latst, from last, latst, adjective — more at last II
: something that is last: as
a. : the end of life : time of dying
her pen was busy to the last — F.L.Pattee
b. : the last-mentioned person or thing
these last could be scattered in case of a threatened air raid — Elmer Davis
c. : a last look, pronouncement, or other action
looked his last on the old homestead
I've spoken my last on that subject
d. : the last part : conclusion , end
would not hear the last of his story
fought gamely to the last
remained in enemy hands until the very last — C.E.Black & E.C.Helmreich
came home the last of March
e. : final appearance or mention
hated to see the last of her — Ellen Glasgow
knew he would never hear the last of that mistake
f. : one that ranks lowest
would inevitably come in an inglorious last — Osbert Lancaster
g. : the final one
the last of the tests was held today
h. : the score awarded for winning the final trick in certain card games (as pinochle)
•
- at last
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, unit of weight, load, from Old English hlæst load; akin to Middle Dutch last load, Old High German hlast; derivative from the root of Old English hladan to load — more at lade
: any of several greatly varying units of weight, capacity, or quantity: as
a. : a unit of weight equal to about 4000 pounds
b. : an English unit of capacity for grain equal to 10 quarters or 80 bushels
c. : a unit of quantity for herring equal to 13,200, 10,000, or 20,000 fish
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English laste, from Old English lǣste, from lāst footprint; akin to Old High German leist shoemaker's last, Old Norse leistr sock, Gothic laists footprint, Latin lira furrow, track — more at learn
: a wooden or metal form which is shaped like the human foot and over which a shoe is shaped or repaired
VII. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to shape with a last : fasten or fit to a last
last a shoe
intransitive verb
: to perform the operation of shaping with a last