least
要点最も小さい、少ない、最小、最少、最小限、の物事
意味
- (littleの最上級;比較級はless)
- (大きさ・程度が)最も小さい(少ない)
- (重要性・身分が)最も低い
- (大きさ・程度・重要性が)最小(最少,最小限)の物事
- 最も少なく(低く)
例文
Tom eats at least three bowls of rice every day.
トムは、毎日少なくとも３杯はご飯を食べます。
Please check in at least an hour before leaving.
遅くとも出発の１時間前までにチェックインしてください。
The food wasn't good, but at least it was cheap.
食べ物はよくなかったが、少なくとも値段が安かった。
語源
英語の原文（Wiktionary）
The adjective, determiner, and noun are derived from Middle English leste, lest, last (“(adjective) smallest, least; (noun) smallest thing, etc.; person or thing least in importance; etc.”), from Old English lǣst, a contraction of læsast, læsest (“least”) (also lærest in only one source), from Proto-Germanic *laisistaz (“smallest, least”), from *laisiz (“less”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-; whence modern English less) + *-istaz (“suffix forming superlative forms of some adjectives”). The adverb and pronoun are derived from the adjective or determiner. cognates * Old Frisian leist * Old Saxon lēs