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soothest

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Most soothing or most gentle. It is an old superlative form used in poetry.

Detailed Definition
Soothest is an archaic or poetic superlative related to soothing or sweetly calming. Keats addresses Sleep as the most calming of powers, and the old-fashioned form helps create a solemn, elevated tone.
Example
Example in poetry:
Keats, “O soothest Sleep,” uses soothest as an archaic superlative meaning truest, gentlest, or most soothing; “Sooth” means truth, as in “in sooth,” and can also suggest comfort; “O soothest rain, quiet the roof” imitates the elevated apostrophe; Modern poets usually say “most soothing,” but soothest lends musical, antique tenderness
Additional Notes
In "O soothest Sleep!" the word is a rare poetic superlative, not a common modern form, so readers may pause over it.; Found in the poem, To Sleep by John Keats
Also Known As
comforter consoler solace-bringer alleviator
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