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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MOST, a. superl. of more.
1. Consisting of the greatest number. That scheme of life is to be preferred, which presents a prospect of the most advantages with the fewest inconveniences.
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness. Proverbs 20.
2. consisting of the greatest quantity; greatest; as the most part of the land or the mountain.
MOST, adv. In the greatest or highest degree. Pursue that course of life which will most tend to produce private happiness and public usefulness. Contemplations on the works of God expand the mind and tend to produce most sublime views of his power and wisdom.
As most is used to express the superlative degree, it is used before any adjective; as most vile, most wicked, most illustrious.
MOST, n. [used as a substitute for a noun, when the noun is omitted or understood.]
1. The greatest number or part.
Then he began to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done. Matthew 11.
[This use seems to have resulted form the omission of part, or some similar word,and most in this case signifies greatest, that is, the greatest part.]
2. The most, the greatest value, amount or advantage, or the utmost in extent, degree or effect.
A covetous man makes the most of what he has, and can get.
At the most, the greatest degree or quantity; the utmost extent. Stock brings six per cent. interest at the most, often less.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (superlative of `many' used with count nouns and often preceded by `the') quantifier meaning the greatest in number; "who has the most apples?"; "most people like eggs"; "most fishes have fins" [ant: fewest]
2: the superlative of `much' that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by `the'; a quantifier meaning the greatest in amount or extent or degree; "made the most money he could"; "what attracts the most attention?"; "made the most of a bad deal" [ant: least] adv
1: used to form the superlative; "the king cobra is the most dangerous snake" [syn: most, to the highest degree] [ant: least, to the lowest degree]
2: very; "a most welcome relief"
3: (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees" [syn: about, almost, most, nearly, near, nigh, virtually, well-nigh]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English m?st; akin to Old High German meist most, Old English m?ra more — more at more Date: before 12th century 1. greatest in quantity, extent, or degree <the most ability> 2. the majority of <most people> II. adverb Date: before 12th century 1. to the greatest or highest degree — often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative <the most challenging job he ever had> 2. to a very great degree <was most persuasive> III. noun Date: 12th century the greatest amount <it's the most I can do> IV. pronoun Usage: singular or plural in construction Date: 13th century the greatest number or part <most become discouraged and quit> V. adverb Etymology: by shortening Date: circa 1584 almost <we'll be crossing the river most any time now — Hamilton Basso> Usage: Although considered by some to be unacceptable in all cases, most is often used to mean “almost” in both spoken and, to a lesser extent, written English to modify the adjectives all, every, and any; the pronouns all, everyone, everything, everybody, anyone, anything, and anybody; and the adverbs everywhere, anywhere, and always. Other uses of this sense of most are dialectal.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., n., & adv. --adj. 1 existing in the greatest quantity or degree (you have made most mistakes; see who can make the most noise). 2 the majority of; nearly all of (most people think so). --n. 1 the greatest quantity or number (this is the most I can do). 2 (the most) sl. the best of all. 3 the majority (most of them are missing). --adv. 1 in the highest degree (this is most interesting; what most annoys me). 2 forming the superlative of adjectives and adverbs, esp. those of more than one syllable (most certain; most easily). 3 US colloq. almost. Phrases and idioms: at most no more or better than (this is at most a makeshift). at the most 1 as the greatest amount. 2 not more than. for the most part 1 as regards the greater part. 2 usually. make the most of 1 employ to the best advantage. 2 represent at its best or worst. Most Honourable a title given to marquises and to members of the Privy Council and the Order of the Bath. Most Reverend a title given to archbishops and to Roman Catholic bishops. Etymology: OE mast f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

More More, a., compar. [Positive wanting; superl. Most.] [OE. more, mare, and (orig. neut. and adv.) mo, ma, AS. m[=a]ra, and (as neut. and adv.) m[=a]; akin to D. meer, OS. m[=e]r, G. mehr, OHG. m[=e]ro, m[=e]r, Icel. meiri, meirr, Dan. meere, meer, Sw. mera, mer, Goth. maiza, a., mais, adv., and perh. to L. major greater, compar. of magnus great, and magis, adv., more. [root]103. Cf. Most, uch, Major.] 1. Greater; superior; increased; as: (a) Greater in quality, amount, degree, quality, and the like; with the singular. He gat more money. --Chaucer. If we procure not to ourselves more woe. --Milton. Note: More, in this sense, was formerly used in connection with some other qualifying word, -- a, the, this, their, etc., -- which now requires the substitution of greater, further, or the like, for more. Whilst sisters nine, which dwell on Parnasse height, Do make them music for their more delight. --Spenser. The more part knew not wherefore they were come together. --Acts xix. 32. Wrong not that wrong with a more contempt. --Shak. (b) Greater in number; exceeding in numbers; -- with the plural. The people of the children of Israel are more and mighter than we. --Ex. i. 9. 2. Additional; other; as, he wept because there were no more words to conquer. With open arms received one poet more. --Pope.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Most Most, a., superl. of More. [OE. most, mast, mest, AS. m?st; akin to D. meest, OS. m[=e]st, G. meist, Icel. mestr, Goth. maists; a superl. corresponding to E. more. [root]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. Note: 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Most Most, adv. [AS. m[=ae]st. See Most, a.] In the greatest or highest degree. Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites, were courtiers and prelates. --Milton. Note: 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Much Much, a. [Compar. & superl. wanting, but supplied by More, and Most, from another root.] [OE. moche, muche, miche, prob. the same as mochel, muchel, michel, mikel, fr. AS. micel, mycel; cf. Gr. ?, fem. ?, great, and Icel. mj["o]k, adv., much. [root]103. See Mickle.] 1. Great in quantity; long in duration; as, much rain has fallen; much time. Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in. --Deut. xxviii. 38. 2. Many in number. [Archaic] Edom came out against him with much people. --Num. xx. 20. 3. High in rank or position. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Most Most, 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. Mother's Day Moth"er's Day A day appointed for the honor and uplift of motherhood by the loving remembrance of each person of his mother through the performance of some act of kindness, visit, tribute, or letter. The founder of the day is Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, who designated the second Sunday in May, or for schools the second Friday, as the time, and a white carnation as the badge.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: 'Most' is often considered to be the superlative form of 'much' and 'many'. 1. You use most to refer to the majority of a group of things or people or the largest part of something. By stopping smoking you are undoing most of the damage smoking has caused... Sadly, most of the house was destroyed by fire in 1828. QUANT: QUANT of def-n • Most is also a determiner. Most people think the Queen has done a good job over the last 50 years... DET: DET pl-n • Most is also a pronoun. Seventeen civilians were hurt. Most are students who had been attending a twenty-first birthday party... PRON 2. You use the most to mean a larger amount than anyone or anything else, or the largest amount possible. The President himself won the most votes... ADJ: the ADJ n • Most is also a pronoun. The most they earn in a day is ten roubles. PRON 3. You use most to indicate that something is true or happens to a greater degree or extent than anything else. What she feared most was becoming like her mother... ...Professor Morris, the person he most hated. ? least ADV: ADV with v • You use most of all to indicate that something happens or is true to a greater extent than anything else. She said she wanted most of all to be fair. PHRASE: PHR with v 4. You use most to indicate that someone or something has a greater amount of a particular quality than most other things of its kind. He was one of the most influential performers of modern jazz... If anything, swimming will appeal to her most strongly... ? least ADV: ADV adj/adv 5. If you do something the most, you do it to the greatest extent possible or with the greatest frequency. What question are you asked the most?... ADV: the ADV after v 6. You use most in conversations when you want to draw someone's attention to something very interesting or important that you are about to say. Most surprisingly, quite a few said they don't intend to vote at all... ADV: ADV adv/adj 7. You use most to emphasize an adjective or adverb. (FORMAL) I'll be most pleased to speak to them... ADV: ADV adj/adv [emphasis] 8. You use at most or at the most to say that a number or amount is the maximum that is possible and that the actual number or amount may be smaller. Poach the pears in apple juice for perhaps ten minutes at most. ...staying on at school for two extra years to study only three, or at the most four subjects... PHRASE: amount PHR, PHR with cl 9. If you make the most of something, you get the maximum use or advantage from it. Happiness is the ability to make the most of what you have... PHRASE: V inflects 10. for the most part: see part

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Greatest in quantity. 2. Greatest in number, most numerous. II. ad. In the greatest degree, mostly, chiefly, principally. III. n. 1. Greatest part, greatest number. 2. Utmost.

Moby Thesaurus

A per se, a outrance, about, absolutely, ace, acme, all but, all out, almost, approximately, at the height, at the limit, authority, authorization, be-all and end-all, best, best part, better, better part, beyond all bounds, beyond compare, beyond comparison, beyond measure, blue ribbon, body, boss, bulk, champion, championship, chief, command, commander, completely, control, dead, dean, directorship, dominion, downright, effectiveness, egregiously, eminently, essence, essentially, exceedingly, extreme, extremely, far and away, far out, first place, first prize, first-class, first-rate, flat out, fugleman, fundamentally, furthest, generality, genius, gist, gravamen, greater, greatest, head, headship, hegemony, height, higher-up, highest, immeasurably, imperium, in the extreme, incalculably, incomparably, indefinitely, infinitely, influence, inimitably, jurisdiction, kingship, laureate, leader, leadership, lordship, main body, major part, majority, management, mass, master, mastership, mastery, maximal, maximum, meat, mightily, more than half, mortally, much, ne plus ultra, nearabout, new high, nigh, nonpareil, palms, par excellence, paragon, paramountcy, paramountly, perfectly, plurality, power, practically, preeminently, preponderance, preponderancy, presidency, primacy, principal, prodigy, prominently, purely, radical, radically, record, remarkably, rule, ruler, say, senior, sovereignty, star, substance, super, superior, superlative, superlatively, superman, superstar, supremacy, supreme, supremely, surpassingly, sway, the greatest, the greatest number, the most, thrust, tip-top, to crown all, too, too much, top, top dog, top spot, top-notch, topmost, totally, transcendently, ultra, ultra-ultra, unconditionally, unequivocally, uppermost, utmost, utterly, uttermost, virtuoso, way out, well-nigh, with a vengeance, zenith