Frequentest: meaning, definitions and examples
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frequentest
[ ˈfriːkwəntɪst ]
most often
The term 'frequentest' is superlative form of the adjective 'frequent', used to describe something that occurs more often than anything else. It is a less common variation and is often replaced by 'most frequent' in contemporary usage.
Synonyms
most common, most recurrent, most regular
Examples of usage
- She is the frequentest visitor at the museum.
- In winter, snowstorms are the frequentest events in this region.
- This is the frequentest type of complaint in our surveys.
Etymology
The word 'frequent' comes from the Latin 'frequentem', which means 'multitude' or 'crowded'. This Latin root has shaped the meaning of the word as it evolved through Old French into Middle English, where it became more established in various forms. The superlative form 'frequentest' combines the prefix 'frequent' with the superlative suffix '-est', which is a common way to indicate extremes in English adjectives. Despite its grammatical correctness, 'frequentest' has seen a decline in use in favor of 'most frequent', reflecting a broader trend in English where more succinct and clearer constructions are preferred. Today, you might find 'frequentest' in more literary or formal contexts, and it is an interesting example of how language evolves over time.