Simplest

How to spell simplest

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce simplest

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does simplest mean?

1. adjectiveMost basic, plain, or easy to do or understand among the options.

Simplest in a sentence

• The simplest solution is often to restart the computer.

• She chose the simplest recipe in the whole book for a busy weeknight.

Where does simplest come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the superlative form of the adjective 'simple', which English took from Old French 'simple' in the 1200s, itself descended from the Latin 'simplus' and the related 'simplex', meaning 'single' or 'plain'. The Latin word was built from a root meaning 'one' combined with a fold or layer, so something simple was literally 'one-fold', that is, not folded over or complicated. The everyday sense of 'easy to do or understand' grew naturally from this idea of having no extra layers. The '-est' ending is the native English superlative suffix, the same one seen in 'fastest' and 'kindest', and it attaches cleanly because 'simple' already ends in a consonant plus '-le', so the final 'e' is dropped before adding '-est'. The same Latin source also gives us 'simplicity' and the mathematical 'simplex'.

How the word is built

• simpl- (from simplus: single, plain)
• -est (superlative suffix)