Lest

Definition: Lest

Lest

Adverb

1. For fear that; "she tiptoed lest her mother should hear her".

2. That (after verbs explicitly expressing fear etc.); "he worried lest he should be late".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "lest" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Tips from 1870

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

LEST

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Agency

Phrase: "I myself must mix with action lest I wither by despair".

Avoidance

Adjective: lest, in order to avoid.

Crosswords: Lest

Czech (artifice, ruse, stratagem, subterfuge, trick, wile), French (ballast), Icelandic (train).

O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, who monthly changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable (Romeo + Juliet; writing credit: Craig Pearce)

By the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them, lest we forget (Sahara; writing credit: David Phillips)

Lest we let this place become a zoo not to mention a haven for ghorkins (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension; writing credit: Earl Mac Rauch)

Usual vault rules apply: Touch not, lest ye be touched (Mallrats; writing credit: Kevin Smith)

Don't love the things you own, lest they own you. (references; author: unknown)

Give according to your income, lest God will make your income like your giving. (references; author: unknown)

Lest We Forget (1951)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Lest Darkness Fall (reference)

• Lest Darkness Fall, to Bring the Light: 2 Books in 1 (reference)

• Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed (reference)

• Lest We Forget: The Kingsmen, 101st Aviation Battalion, 1968 (reference)

• Lest We Forget:: When Time Stood Still (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Lest We Forget (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Lest We Forget Volume II (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Lest we forget this democracy's true foundations. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lest liberty perish from the face of the earth - buy bonds / Ioseph Pennell del. & c. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lest we perish Campaign for $30,000,000 ; American Committee for Relief in the Near East ; Armenia - Greece - Syria - Persia ; One Madison Ave., New York, Cleveland H. Dodge, Treasurer. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lest they perish Campaign for $30,000,000 - American Committee for Relief in the Near East--Armenia-Greece-Syria-Persia / / W.B. King ; Conwell Graphic Companies, N.Y. Credit: Library of Congress.

You--Buy a Liberty bond lest I perish / C.R. Macauley. Credit: Library of Congress.

Lest they perish Campaign for $30,000,000 - American Committee for Relief in the Near East--Armenia-Greece-Syria-Persia / / W.B. King ; Conwell Graphic Companies, N.Y. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

But if I might advise them in the case, they would do well not to search too much into the original of governments, as they have begun de facto, lest they should find, at the foundation of most of them, something very little favourable to the design they promote, and such a power as they contend for. (Second Treatise of Government)

If you look around you, you must feel not only the sense of duty done but also you must feel anxiety lest you fall below the level of achievement. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face

He feared lest something might yet enter

This I delivered in a firm tone, like a person who was jealous lest his courage should be called in question

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Civil Liberties

Greece

There is no prohibition against Muslims becoming officers; however, few Muslim officers have advanced to the rank of reserve officer, and there were reports of pressure exerted on Greek Orthodox military personnel not to marry in the religious ceremony of their non-Orthodox partner, lest they be passed over for promotion. (references)

Economic History

Philippines

The government hopes to hit at lest 3.3% GDP growth in 2001 (the low end of its targeted 3.3% -3.8% range), but private forecasts are somewhat lower. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "lest": beware lest ♦ lest peradventure. Additional references.

Albanian

se mos, që të mos. (various references)

Arabic 

‏خوفا من, ‏خشية أن. (various references)

Bulgarian 

за да не, да не би да. (various references)

Chinese 

�"�恐. (various references)

Czech

aby ne. (various references)

Farsi 

مبادا, شاید (Belike, Like, May, Maybe, Peradventure, Perchance, Perhaps). (various references)

Finnish

jottei (in order that . . not, so as not to). (various references)

French

de peur de, de crainte de. (various references)

German

geringere (small). (various references)

Greek 

για να μη, μη (do not, don't, non, not), μήπωσ (maybe), εκ φόβου. (various references)

Hungarian

nehogy (for fear of). (various references)

Indonesian

kalau (if). (various references)

Italian

per paura che. (various references)

Korean 

하지 않도록. (various references)

Manx

er aggle. (various references)

Pig Latin

estlay.(various references)

Portuguese

que (as, how, than, that, what, what kind of, which, who, whom), para que não, de que (of what, of which, whereof), com receio de, com medo de que, a fim de que não. (various references)

Romanian

sã nu, ca sã nu (but), ca nu cumva. (various references)

Russian 

чтобы не, как бы не, как бы ни (however, howsoever), если (and if, except as otherwise, given that, I shouldn't wonder if, if, in case, in case of there, in the event that, in the event the, provided that, supposing, unless). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

da ne bi, da (if, like, so, that, yea, yeah, yep, yes). (various references)

Spanish

para que no, con el fin de (with the purpose of). (various references)

Swedish

ifall (if, in case, whether), för att inte. (various references)

Thai

�"้วยเกรงว่า. (various references)

Turkish

olmaya ki, olmasın diye, etmesin diye. (various references)

Ukrainian

щоб не (but), коли б не (whenever, whensoever). (various references)

Welsh

rhag ofn, rhag (against, before, from, out of). (various references)

nequando. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words ending with "lest": ablest, amplest, arbalest, arbelest, awfullest, beautifulest, blest, brittlest, capablest, carefullest, centralest, cheerfullest, chillest, coolest, cruelest, cruellest, dismalest, dolefullest, drollest, dullest, evilest, evillest, fearfullest, feeblest, fellest, ficklest, foulest, frailest, fruitfullest, fullest, genteelest, gentlest, gracefullest, gratefullest, halest, humblest, idlest, illest, joyfullest, kittlest, littlest, loyalest, micklest, molest, mournfullest, nimblest, noblest, painfullest, palest, peacefullest, pitifullest. (additional references)

Words containing "lest": anticholesterol, arbalests, arbelests, candlestick, candlesticks, celesta, celestas, celeste, celestes, celestial, celestially, celestials, celestite, celestites, cholestases, cholestasis, cholestatic, cholesteric, cholesterol, cholesterols, cholestyramine, cholestyramines, cobblestone, cobblestoned, cobblestones, fiddlestick, fiddlesticks, hypercholesterolemia, hypercholesterolemias, hypercholesterolemic, milestone, milestones, molestation, molestations, molested, molester, molesters, molesting, molests, palestra, palestrae, palestras, polestar, polestars, singlestick, singlesticks, telestic, telestics, unmolested, wafflestomper, wafflestompers. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Lest" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Elst, glest, lasht, lasst, Leatg, lect, lectu, leest, leeste, leet, leit, lensth, leot, lept, lerste, lert, Lesc, Lescht, leseth, lesk, lessa, lessl, lesta, lestai, lestr, leut, lewt, lezi, lezt, lista, listi, listn, listo, listy, lizt, Loesch, lostr, ls, lsd, lse, lsg, lst, Luest, lusit, lyst. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: lets, tels.

-1 letter: els, let, sel, set, tel.

-2 letters: el, es, et.

+1 letter: belts, blest, blets, celts, delts, felts, gelts, islet, istle, least, leets, lefts, lutes, melts, pelts, setal, slate, sleet, slept, smelt, spelt, stale, steal, steel, stela, stele, stile, stole, style, taels, tales, teals, teels, teles, tells, telos, tesla, tiles, toles, tules, welts.

+2 letters: ablest, aglets, alates, alerts, alters, artels, betels, bleats, blites, bluest, bluets, botels, bustle, butles, castle, cleats, clefts, closet, culets, delfts, delist, deltas, desalt, eclats, elates, eldest, elects, elints, elites, elutes, enlist, estral, ethyls, exalts, extols, exults, festal, filets, fleets, fliest, flites, flutes, flytes, gleets, halest, haslet, helots, hostel, hotels, hustle, idlest, illest, inlets, islets, istles, itself, ixtles, jostle, justle, ketols, lamest, lasted, laster, latens, latest, lathes, latkes, lattes, laxest, leasts, legist, legits, lentos, lethes, letups, likest, listed, listee, listel, listen, lister, liters, litres, livest, lottes, lowest, lunets, lusted, luster, lustre, lutzes, lysate, metals, molest, motels, nestle, oldest, osteal, ostler, owlets, palest, palets, pastel, pestle, petals, plates, pleats, ratels, relets, relist, result, rustle, sallet, salted, salter, saltie, salute, samlet, select, septal, settle, shelta, shelty, shtetl, silent, silted, sklent, slated, slater, slates, slatey, sleets, sleety, sleuth, sliest, slyest, smelts, solate, solute, spelts, speltz, splent, stable, staled, staler, stales, staple, steals, steels, steely, stelae, stelai, stelar, steles, stelic, stella, sterol, stifle, stiles, stipel, stoled, stolen, stoles, streel, styled, styler, styles, stylet, sublet, subtle, sutler, svelte, tables, talers, tassel, teasel, tellys, telson, tepals, teslas, tholes, tildes, tilers, tinsel, titles, toiles, tousle, towels, tulles, tussle, ulster, valets, veldts, vestal, vilest, voltes.