guest

[gest] /gɛst/
noun
1.
a person who spends some time at another person's home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.
2.
a person who receives the hospitality of a club, a city, or the like.
3.
a person who patronizes a hotel, restaurant, etc., for the lodging, food, or entertainment it provides.
4.
an often well-known person invited to participate or perform in a regular program, series, etc., as a substitute for a regular member or as a special attraction.
5.
Zoology. an inquiline.
verb (used with object)
6.
to entertain as a guest.
verb (used without object)
7.
to be a guest; make an appearance as a guest:
She's been guesting on all the TV talk shows.
adjective
8.
provided for or done by a guest:
a guest towel; a guest column for a newspaper.
9.
participating or performing as a guest:
a guest conductor.
Origin
before 900; Middle English gest < Old Norse gestr; replacing Old English gi(e)st; cognate with German Gast, Gothic gasts, Latin hostis; cf. host1, host2
Related forms
guestless, adjective
Can be confused
guessed, guest.
Synonyms
1. company. See visitor.

Guest

[gest] /gɛst/
noun
1.
Edgar A(lbert) 1881–1959, U.S. journalist and writer of verse, born in England.
Examples from the web for guest
  • He also guest directed a scene in sin city, which uses a similar layout.
  • However, this was not a success, owing to poor guest selection.
  • Instead of throwing him out, she allows him to ride as her guest.
  • By the end of its run, over one hundred guest stars had appeared on the muppet show.
  • In the screened room the male guest takes off his shoes and falls asleep.
British Dictionary definitions for guest

guest

/ɡɛst/
noun
1.
a person who is entertained, taken out to eat, etc, and paid for by another
2.
  1. a person who receives hospitality at the home of another: a weekend guest
  2. (as modifier): the guest room
3.
  1. a person who receives the hospitality of a government, establishment, or organization
  2. (as modifier): a guest speaker
4.
  1. an actor, contestant, entertainer, etc, taking part as a visitor in a programme in which there are also regular participants
  2. (as modifier): a guest appearance
5.
a patron of a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc
6.
(zoology) a nontechnical name for inquiline
7.
(informal) be my guest, do as you like
verb
8.
(intransitive) (in theatre and broadcasting) to be a guest: to guest on a show
Word Origin
Old English giest guest, stranger, enemy; related to Old Norse gestr, Gothic gasts, Old High German gast, Old Slavonic gostǐ, Latin hostis enemy
Word Origin and History for guest
n.

Old English gæst, giest (Anglian gest) "guest; enemy; stranger," the common notion being "stranger," from Proto-Germanic *gastiz (cf. Old Frisian jest, Dutch gast, German Gast, Gothic gasts "guest," originally "stranger"), from PIE root *ghosti- "strange" (cf. Latin hostis "enemy," hospes "host" -- from *hosti-potis "host, guest," originally "lord of strangers" -- Greek xenos "guest, host, stranger;" Old Church Slavonic gosti "guest, friend," gospodi "lord, master").

Spelling evolution influenced by Old Norse cognate gestr (the usual sound changes from the Old English word would have yielded Modern English *yest). Phrase be my guest in the sense of "go right ahead" first recorded 1955.

Idioms and Phrases with guest

guest

see: be my guest