last¹ (lăst)

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[Middle English, from Old English latost superlative of læt, late.]

adjective 

1. Being, coming, or placed after all others; final: the last game of the season.
2. Being the only one left: his last nickel; as a last resort.
3. Just past; most recent: last year; the last time I checked.
4. Most up-to-date; newest: the last thing in swimwear.
5. Highest in extent or degree; utmost: to the last measure of human endurance.
6. Most valid, authoritative, or conclusive: The arbiter will have the last say in resolving this dispute.
7. 1. Least likely or expected: the last person we would have suspected.
   2. The least desirable or suitable: the last man for the job.
8. Being the latest possible: waited until the last second before boarding the train.
9. Lowest in rank or importance: last prize; last place.
10. Used as an intensive: Every last dollar was donated to charity.
11. 1. Of or relating to a terminal period or stage, as of life: the last days of the dinosaurs.
    2. Administered just before death: the last sacraments.

adverb 

1. After all others in chronology or sequence: arrived last.
2. Most recently: a fashion last popular in the 1940s.
3. At the end; finally: Add the butter last.

noun 

1. One that is at the end or last: the last to be chosen; on every page but the last.
2. The end: held out until the last.
3. The final mention or appearance: haven't seen the last of our troubles.

idioms

at last

After a considerable length of time; finally.

at long last

After a lengthy or troublesome wait or delay: At long last the winter was over.

derivatives

last́ly

adverb

synonyms:

last¹final, terminal, ultimate These adjectives mean coming after all others in chronology or sequence. Last applies to what comes at the end of a series: the last day of the month. Something final stresses the definitiveness and decisiveness of the conclusion: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality” (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Terminal applies to what marks or forms a limit or boundary, as in space, time, or development: The railroad chose as its terminal city a town with a large harbor. Ultimate applies to what concludes a series, process, or progression, to what constitutes a final result or objective, and to what is most distant or remote, as in time: the ultimate sonata of that opus; our ultimate goal; the ultimate effect.

last² (lăst)

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[Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan.]

verb: last·ed, last·ing, lasts. 

intransitive verb 

1. 1. To continue in time; go on: The war lasted four years.
   2. To continue; survive: The patient is not expected to last much longer.
2. 1. To remain in good or usable condition: Produce lasts longer if it is refrigerated. I wanted a car that would last.
   2. To continue in force or practice: wondered if the marriage would last.
3. To remain in adequate supply: Will our water last?

transitive verb 

1. To keep adequately supplied: left enough bread to last the family for the weekend.
2. To persist or endure for the entire length of; survive: hoped to last the season without injuring her leg again.

last³ (lăst)

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[Middle English leste, laste, from Old English lǣste, from lǣst, lāst, sole of the foot.]

noun 

A block or form shaped like a human foot and used in making or repairing shoes.

transitive verb: last·ed, last·ing, lasts. 

To mold or shape on a last.

last⁴ (lăst)

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[Middle English, load, a kind of measure, from Old English hlæst, load.]

noun 

A unit of volume or weight varying for different commodities and in different districts, equal to about 80 bushels, 640 gallons, or 2 tons.