-st

Full definition of -st

Suffix

1. (archaic) Verb suffix for the second-person singular
• MacbethThou com'st to use thy tongue.

Suffix

1. Marks ordinals written in digits when the final term of the spelled number is "first"the 21st century

Coordinate terms

• -nd
• -rd
• -th

-s + -t of excrescent suffixes, with -s sometimes genitive.

Suffix

1. Excrescent suffix (adding sound but largely not changing the meaning).

Usage notes

When there is a shorter synonymous word (as in amongst/among), the form with -st is generally considered more formal, old-fashioned, affected, or British. However, against is distinct from again, and midst is used in some context distinctly from mid.

Derived terms