lest

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• /lɛst/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɛst
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• obsolete: /liːst/
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• Early, Modern: /lɛst/
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• Early, Modern: /lɛːst/
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• CMU ARPABET: L EH1 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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c. 1200, contracted from Middle English les te (“less that”), from Old English þȳ lǣs þe (“whereby less that”), from þȳ (instrumental case of demonstrative article þæt (“that”)) + lǣs (“less”) + þe (“that,” relative particle). The þȳ was dropped and the remaining two words contracted into leste.

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: خِيفَةَ أَنَّ (ḵīfata ʔanna) — for fear that
• Arabic: مَخَافَةَ أَن (maḵāfata ʔan) — for fear that
• Central Bikol: harambili — for fear that
• Bulgarian: от страх да не (ot strah da ne) — for fear that
• Chinese Mandarin: 以免 (yǐmiǎn) — for fear that
• Czech: ze strachu, že ... — for fear that
• Czech: v případě, že ... — for fear that
• Danish: af frygt for at — for fear that
• Dutch: uit angst dat — for fear that
• Esperanto: pro timo ke — for fear that
• Finnish: siltä varalta, että — for fear that
• Finnish: siinä pelossa, että — for fear that
• Finnish: sen pelossa, että — for fear that
• Finnish: ettei — for fear that
• Finnish: jottei — for fear that
• French: de peur que — for fear that
• French: sans quoi — for fear that
• Galician: non sexa que — for fear that
• Georgian: რათა არ — for fear that
• German: fürchtend, dass — for fear that
• German: in der Furcht, dass — for fear that
• Gothic: 𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌹 (ibai) — for fear that
• Ancient Greek: μή (mḗ) — for fear that
• Ancient Greek: μήποτε (mḗpote) — for fear that
• Hebrew: פֶּן (pen) — for fear that
• Hungarian: nehogy — for fear that
• Irish: ar eagla go — for fear that
• Italian: per paura che — for fear that
• Japanese: しないように (shinai yō ni) — for fear that
• Khmer: ក្រែង (kraeŋ) — for fear that
• Māori: kei tūpono — for fear that
• Old English: þȳ lǣs — for fear that
• Polish: żeby nie — for fear that
• Portuguese: para que — for fear that
• Portuguese: a fim de que ... não — for fear that
• Romanian: în caz că — for fear that
• Russian: из страха — for fear that
• Russian: что — for fear that
• Serbo-Croatian: iz straha da ne — for fear that
• Serbo-Croatian: da ne bi — for fear that
• Slovene: da ne bi — for fear that
• Spanish: no vaya a ser que — for fear that
• Sundanese: bisi — for fear that
• Turkish: bundan korkarak — for fear that
• Ukrainian: боячи́сь, що (bojačýsʹ, ščo) — for fear that
• Bengali: পাছে (pache) — that ... not
• Bulgarian: да не (da ne) — that ... not
• Bulgarian: за да не (za da ne) — that ... not
• Czech: aby ... ne — that ... not
• Dutch: opdat ... niet — that ... not
• Finnish: ettei — that ... not
• Finnish: jottei — that ... not
• German: bevor — that ... not
• German: auf dass nicht — that ... not
• Ancient Greek: μή (mḗ) — that ... not
• Ancient Greek: μήποτε (mḗpote) — that ... not
• Hungarian: nehogy — that ... not
• Latin: nē — that ... not
• Māori: kei — that ... not
• Old English: þȳ lǣs — that ... not
• Polish: żeby nie — that ... not
• Russian: чтобы не — that ... not
• Russian: и́на́че (ínáče) — that ... not
• Serbo-Croatian: da ne — that ... not
• Serbo-Croatian: kako ne ... — that ... not
• Swedish: så att inte — that ... not
• Turkish: bunun üzerine değil — that ... not
• Turkish: daha önce — that ... not
• Ukrainian: аби́ ... не (abý ... ne) — that ... not
• Ukrainian: щоб ... не (ščob ... ne) — that ... not
• Ukrainian: щоби ... не (ščoby ... ne) — that ... not
• Latin: nē — that (without the negative particle)
• Polish: że — that (without the negative particle)
• Romanian: care — that (without the negative particle)
• Ukrainian: що (ščo) — that (without the negative particle)