last³

[last, lahst] /læst, lɑst/

noun

a wooden or metal form in the shape of the human foot on which boots or shoes are shaped or repaired.

the shape or form of a shoe.

verb (used with object)

to shape on or fit to a last.

Idioms

stick to one's last, to keep to that work, field, etc., in which one is competent or skilled.

Origin

before 900; Middle English lest(e), last(e), Old English lǣste; cognate with German Leisten; akin to Old English lāst, Gothic laists track

Related forms

laster, noun

British Dictionary definitions for stick to one's last

last¹

/lɑːst/

adjective (often prenominal)

being, happening, or coming at the end or after all others: the last horse in the race

being or occurring just before the present; most recent: last Thursday

last but not least, coming last in order but nevertheless important

last but one, next to last

only remaining: one's last cigarette

most extreme; utmost

least suitable, appropriate, or likely: he was the last person I would have chosen

(esp relating to the end of a person's life or of the world)

final or ultimate: last rites
(capital): the Last Judgment

(postpositive) (Liverpool, dialect) inferior, unpleasant, or contemptible: this ale is last

adverb

10.

after all others; at or in the end: he came last

11.

most recently: he was last seen in the mountains
(in combination): last-mentioned

12.

(sentence modifier) as the last or latest item

noun

13.

the last

a person or thing that is last
the final moment; end

14.

one's last moments before death

15.

the last thing a person can do (esp in the phrase breathe one's last)

16.

the final appearance, mention, or occurrence: we've seen the last of him

17.

at last, in the end; finally

18.

at long last, finally, after difficulty, delay, or irritation

Usage note

Since last can mean either after all others or most recent, it is better to avoid using this word where ambiguity might arise as in her last novel. Final or latest should be used in such contexts to avoid ambiguity

Word Origin

variant of Old English latest, lætest, superlative of late

last²

/lɑːst/

verb

when intr, often foll by for. to remain in being (for a length of time); continue: his hatred lasted for several years

to be sufficient for the needs of (a person) for (a length of time): it will last us until Friday

when intr, often foll by for. to remain fresh, uninjured, or unaltered (for a certain time or duration): he lasted for three hours underground

last³

/lɑːst/

noun

the wooden or metal form on which a shoe or boot is fashioned or repaired

verb

(transitive) to fit (a shoe or boot) on a last

Derived Forms

laster, noun

Word Origin

Old English lǣste, from lāst footprint; related to Old Norse leistr foot, Gothic laists

last⁴

/lɑːst/

noun

a unit of weight or capacity having various values in different places and for different commodities. Commonly used values are 2 tons, 2000 pounds, 80 bushels, or 640 gallons

Word Origin

Old English hlæst load; related to hladan to lade1

Word Origin and History for stick to one's last

last

adj., adv.

"following all others," from Old English latost (adj.) and lætest (adv.), superlative of læt (see late). Cognate with Old Frisian lest, Dutch laatst, Old High German laggost, German letzt. Meaning "most recent" is from c.1200. The noun, "last person or thing," is c.1200, from the adjective. Last hurrah is from the title of Edwin O'Connor's 1956 novel. Last word "final, definitive statement" is from 1650s. A dying person's last words so called by 1740. As an adjective, last-minute attested from 1913. Last-chance (adj.) is from 1962.

"endure, go on existing," from Old English læstan "to continue, endure," earlier "accomplish, carry out," literally "to follow a track," from Proto-Germanic *laistjan "to follow a track" (cf. Gothic laistjan "to follow," Old Frisian lasta "to fulfill, to pay (duties)," German leisten "to perform, achieve, afford"), from PIE *leis- "track, furrow."

Related to last (n.), not to last (adj.). Related: Lasted; lasting.

"shoemaker's block," from Old English læste, from last "track, footprint, trace," from Proto-Germanic *laist- (cf. Old Norse leistr "the foot," Middle Dutch, Dutch leest "form, model, last," Old High German leist "track, footprint," German Leisten "last," Gothic laistjan "to follow," Old English læran "to teach"); see last (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with stick to one's last

stick to one's last

Keep to what you know and don't interfere out of your province, as in Let me handle the defense in this suit; you stick to your last and track down more eyewitnesses. This adage comes from an ancient story about a shoemaker criticizing a work by a Greek painter named Apelles, saying that the shoe in the picture was not correctly portrayed. After the painter corrected it, the shoemaker pointed out an error in the leg, whereupon the painter said, “Shoemaker, do not go above your last.” Over the centuries the story was repeated, and the expression still is sometimes put as cobbler, stick to your last, even though cobblers are nearly obsolete.