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besting

 [best]   Origin

best

   [best]
adjective, superl. of good with better as compar.
1.
of the highest quality, excellence, or standing: the best work; the best students.
2.
most advantageous, suitable, or desirable: the best way.
3.
largest; most: the best part of a day.
adverb, superl. of well with better as compar.
4.
most excellently or suitably; with most advantage or success: an opera role that best suits her voice.
5.
in or to the highest degree; most fully (usually used in combination): best-suited; best-known; best-loved.

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Besting is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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noun
6.
something or someone that is best: They always demand and get the best. The best of us can make mistakes.
7.
a person's finest clothing: It's important that you wear your best.
8.
a person's most agreeable or desirable emotional state (often preceded by at).
9.
a person's highest degree of competence, inspiration, etc. (often preceded by at).
10.
the highest quality to be found in a given activity or category of things (often preceded by at): cabinetmaking at its best.
EXPAND
11.
the best effort that a person, group, or thing can make: Their best fell far short of excellence.
12.
a person's best wishes or kindest regards: Please give my best to your father.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
13.
to get the better of; defeat; beat: He easily bested his opponent in hand-to-hand combat. She bested me in the argument.
Idioms
14.
all for the best, for the good as the final result; to an ultimate advantage: At the time it was hard to realize how it could be all for the best. Also, for the best.
15.
as best one can, in the best way possible under the circumstances: We tried to smooth over the disagreement as best we could.
16.
at best, under the most favorable circumstances: You may expect to be treated civilly, at best.
17.
get/have the best of,
a.
to gain the advantage over.
b.
to defeat; subdue: His arthritis gets the best of him from time to time.
18.
had best, would be wisest or most reasonable to; ought to: You had best phone your mother to tell her where you are going.
EXPAND
19.
make the best of, to cope with in the best way possible: to make the best of a bad situation.
20.
with the best, on a par with the most capable: He can play bridge with the best.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
before 900; Middle English beste, Old English betst, best; cognate with Dutch best, Old High German bezzist (German best), Old Norse bezt, Gothic batists. See better1, -est
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

best
O.E., reduced by assimilation of -t- from earlier O.E. betst "best, first, in the best manner," originally superlative of bot "remedy, reparation," the root word now only surviving in to boot (see boot (2)), though its comparative, better, and
EXPAND
superlative, best, transferred to good (and in some cases well). From P.Gmc. root *bat-, with comp. *batizon and superl. *batistaz. The verb "to get the better of" is from 1863. Best-seller is from 1889; best friend was in Chaucer (late 14c.). Best girl is first attested 1887 in a Texas context; best man is 1814, originally Scottish, replacing groomsman.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

Best (běst), Charles Herbert. 1899-1978.

American-born Canadian physiologist noted for the discovery and successful clinical application of insulin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
Best   (běst)  Pronunciation Key 
American-born Canadian physiologist who assisted Frederick Banting in the discovery of the hormone insulin. In acknowledgment of his work, Banting shared his portion of the 1923 Nobel Prize with Best. In addition to further refining the use of insulin, Best later discovered the vitamin choline and the enzyme histaminase, which breaks down histamine.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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