lost

See also: Lost, löst, løst, and łöst

English

Alternative forms

• los'
• loss

Etymology

From Middle English loste, losede (preterite) and Middle English lost, ilost, ilosed (past participle), from Old English losode (preterite) and Old English losod, ġelosod, equivalent to lose +‎ -t.

Pronunciation

enPR: lŏst, Rhymes: -ɒst

• • IPA^(key): /lɒst/ (Received Pronunciation, Canada)

    • Audio (Canada):

      (file)

  • IPA^(key): /lɔst/ (Standard Southern British, General Australian, New Zealand)

    • Audio (UK):

      (file)

  • IPA^(key): /lɔsʈ/ (Indic)

enPR: lôst (lot–cloth split), Rhymes: -ɔːst

• • IPA^(key): /lɔːst/ (UK, dated)
  • IPA^(key): /lɔst/ (US, without the cot–caught merger)

enPR: läst (father-bother merger), Rhymes: -ɑːst

• • IPA^(key): /lɑst/ (US, cot–caught merger)
  • IPA^(key): /lɑsʈ/ (Indic)
    • Homophone: last (trap–bath split)

Verb

lost

1. simple past and past participle of lose

Derived terms

• I lost my backpack
• I lost my bag
• I lost my glasses
• I lost my handbag
• I lost my keys
• I lost my wallet
• I've lost my keys
• long-lost
• look as if one had lost a shilling and found sixpence
• look as if one has lost a shilling and found sixpence
• no love lost

Adjective

lost (comparative loster or more lost, superlative lostest or most lost)

1. Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way.

   The children were soon lost in the forest.

2. In an unknown location; unable to be found.

   Deep beneath the ocean, the Titanic was lost to the world.

3. Not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible.

   an island lost in a fog; a person lost in a crowd

4. Parted with; no longer held or possessed.

   a lost limb; lost honour

5. Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered.

   a lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit; no time should be lost

6. Ruined or destroyed, either physically or morally; past help or hope.

   a ship lost at sea; a woman lost to virtue; a lost soul

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     They struck me also as being of surpassing interest as representing, probably with studious accuracy, the last rites of the dead as practised among an utterly lost people, and even then I thought how envious some antiquarian friends of my own at Cambridge would be if ever I found an opportunity of describing these wonderful remains to them.

7. Hardened beyond sensibility or recovery; alienated; insensible.

   lost to shame; lost to all sense of honour

8. Occupied with, or under the influence of, something, so as not to notice external things.

   to be lost in thought

Derived terms

• all is not lost
• be lost to the four winds
• get lost
• he who hesitates is lost
• I'm lost
• long lost
• lost and found
• lost articles
• Lostaway
• lost cause
• Lost Creek
• lost decade
• lost errand
• lost for words
• lost generation
• lost ground
• lost highway
• lost in action
• lost in the sauce
• lost in the shuffle
• lost in thought
• lost in time
• lost in translation
• lostling
• lost media
• lost motion
• lostness
• lost neutral
• lost on
• lost property
• lost river
• lost shark
• lost sheep
• lost soul
• lost to history
• lost to the world
• lost to time
• lost wages
• lost wax
• lost-wax casting
• lost-wax process
• lost weekend
• lost with all hands
• lost world
• make up for lost time
• one who hesitates is lost
• Ten Lost Tribes
• unlost

Translations

unable to find one's way

Albanian: humb (sq) Arabic: ضَائِع (ḍāʔiʕ) Egyptian Arabic: تايه (tāyeh) Hijazi Arabic: ضايِع (ḍāyiʕ), تايِه (tāyih), مَفْقود (mafgūd) South Levantine Arabic: ضايِع (ḍāyiʕ) Armenian: կորած (hy) (korac), մոլորված (molorvac) Asturian: perdíu Azerbaijani: azmış Brunei Malay: sasat Bulgarian: загубен (bg) (zaguben) Catalan: perdut (ca) Cherokee: ᎤᎴᎾᎯᏛ (ulenahidv) Chinese: Mandarin: 迷路 (zh) (mílù) Czech: ztracený (cs) Danish: vildfaren, faret vild Esperanto: perdita Finnish: eksynyt, eksyksissä (fi) French: perdu (fr) Galician: perdido German: verirrt (de), verloren (de), umher irrend, orientierungslos (de) Greek: χαμένος (el) m (chaménos) Hebrew: אבוד (he) m (a'vud), אבודה f (a'vuda) Hungarian: elveszett (hu) Icelandic: týndur (is), villtur (is) Indonesian: tersesat (id) Irish: ar strae Italian: perso (it) Khiamniungan Naga: ūivā Khmer: វង្វេង (km) (vŭəngveing) Korean: 길을 잃어버리다 (gireul ireobeorida), 길을 잃다 (gireul ilta) Latin: (expressed by) dēsīderārī, perditus Malay: sesat (ms), hilang (ms) Maori: ngaro Mirandese: perdidoso Persian: مفقود (fa) (mafqud), گم (gom) Polish: zagubiony (pl) Portuguese: perdido (pt) Romanian: pierdut (ro) Russian: заблуди́вшийся (ru) (zabludívšijsja) Sicilian: pirdutu (scn) Spanish: perdido (es) Swedish: vilse (sv) Turkish: kayıp (tr), yitik (tr) Vietnamese: lạc (vi) (落)

in an unknown location

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Armenian: կորած (hy) (korac), կորուսյալ (hy) (korusyal) Brunei Malay: ilang Bulgarian: изгу́бен (bg) (izgúben) Chinese: Mandarin: 被遺失 / 被遗失 (zh) (bèiyíshī) Danish: forsvundet Dutch: kwijt (nl) Esperanto: perdita Finnish: kadonnut (fi), kadoksissa (fi), hukassa (fi) French: perdu (fr) Georgian: please add this translation if you can German: verschollen (de), verloren (de), verirrt (de) Greek: χαμένος (el) m (chaménos) Icelandic: týndur (is) Irish: caillte Italian: perso (it), smarrito (it) Khiamniungan Naga: ūivā Latin: āmissus, (expressed by) dēsīderārī Maori: ngaro Norwegian: Bokmål: tapt (no) Persian: مفقود (fa) (mafqud), گم (fa) (gom) Polish: zagubiony (pl) Portuguese: perdido (pt), extraviado (pt) Russian: поте́рянный (ru) (potérjannyj), расте́рянный (ru) (rastérjannyj), пропа́вший (ru) (propávšij) Spanish: perdido (es) Turkish: kayıp (tr), yitik (tr) Vietnamese: thất lạc (vi)

not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible

Finnish: kadonnut (fi) German: unauffindbar (de) Malay: hilang (ms), lenyap (ms)​ Russian: пропа́вший из ви́ду (propávšij iz vídu), исче́знувший из по́ля зре́ния (isčéznuvšij iz pólja zrénija)

parted with; no longer held or possessed

Bulgarian: загубен (bg) (zaguben) Finnish: menetetty (fi), hukattu (fi) German: verloren (de), verlustig (de), weg (de), -los (de) Malay: hilang (ms) Polish: stracony (pl) Russian: утра́ченный (ru) (utráčennyj)

not employed or enjoyed; thrown away

Finnish: hukattu (fi) German: rausgeschmissen (de), rausgeworfen Russian: напра́сно / зря / да́ром потра́ченный (naprásno / zrja / dárom potráčennyj)

ruined or destroyed

Finnish: kadonnut (fi), kadotettu (fi) Malay: binasa (ms)​ Russian: погибший (ru) (pogibšij), падший (ru) (padšij), пропадший (ru) (propadšij), разбитый (ru) (razbityj)

hardened beyond sensibility or recovery

Finnish: paatunut (fi)

occupied with, or under the influence of, something

Finnish: uppoutunut Russian: погружённый (ru) (pogružónnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (please verify) verloren (nl), (please verify) verdwaald (nl) French: (please verify) perdu (fr) Georgian: (please verify) დაკარგული (daḳarguli) German: (please verify) verloren (de) Indonesian: (please verify) kehilangan (id), (please verify) kalah (id) Irish: (please verify) caillte, (please verify) easpach Japanese: (please verify) 失った (うしなった, ushinatta), 負けた (まけた, maketa) Korean: (please verify) 잃다 (ko) (ilta) Maori: (please verify) ngaro Romanian: (please verify) pierdut (ro) Scottish Gaelic: (please verify) caillte Vietnamese: (please verify) bị mất Woiwurrung: (please verify) yu-burn-angi

Anagrams

• LTOs, OSLT, OTLs, STOL, lots, slot, tols

Breton

Etymology

Cognate with Welsh llost, Cornish lost, Gaulish losto-, from Proto-Celtic *lustā, from Proto-Indo-European *lew- (“to divide, split”), possibly related to Old Norse ljósta (“to strike”), Proto-Germanic *leustaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɔst]

Noun

lost m (plural lostoù)

1. A tail.
2. (informal) a cock, a penis.

   Ha ma lost bras 'zo bet troc'het

   And my big penis was cut off (from a Breton bawdy song)

Cornish

Etymology

From Middle Cornish lost, from Proto-Brythonic *llost, from Proto-Celtic *lustā, from Proto-Indo-European *lew- (“to divide, split”), possibly related to Old Norse ljósta (“to strike”), Proto-Germanic *leustaną. Cognate with Welsh llost, Breton lost, Gaulish losto-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɔst]

Noun

lost m (plural lostow)

1. tail
2. queue
3. (informal) a cock, a penis.

Derived terms

• dreslemmel an lost (“jump the queue”, verb)
• gul lost, lostya (“queue”, verb)
• gwels lost lowarn (“blackgrass”)
• lost an gath (“reedmace”)
• lost margh (“horse tail”)
• lost-lemmel (“springtail”)
• lostek (“big-tailed; fox”)
• lostelven (“suffix”)
• lostledan (“beaver”)
• lostleverel (“cue, prompt”, verb)
• pennik lost hir (“long-tailed tit”)
• spruswydh lost an tiger (“tigertail spruces”)

Verb

lost

1. third-person singular present indicative/future indicative of lostya
2. second-person singular imperative of lostya

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔst

Verb

lost

1. inflection of lossen:
   1. second/third-person singular present indicative
   2. (archaic) plural imperative

Adjective

lost

1. superlative degree of los

Anagrams

• slot, stol

German

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /loːst/

Verb

lost

1. inflection of losen:
   1. second/third-person singular present
   2. second-person plural present
   3. plural imperative

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English lost.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɔst/

Adjective

lost (strong nominative masculine singular loster, comparative loster, superlative am lostesten)

1. (slang) clueless, confused; lost; vain

   Der Typ da hinten in der letzten Reihe ist echt komplett lost.

   That guy back there in the last row is completely clueless.

Declension

Positive forms of lost

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist lost	sie ist lost	es ist lost	sie sind lost
strong declension (without article)	nominative	loster	loste	lostes	loste
	genitive	losten	loster	losten	loster
	dative	lostem	loster	lostem	losten
	accusative	losten	loste	lostes	loste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der loste	die loste	das loste	die losten
	genitive	des losten	der losten	des losten	der losten
	dative	dem losten	der losten	dem losten	den losten
	accusative	den losten	die loste	das loste	die losten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein loster	eine loste	ein lostes	(keine) losten
	genitive	eines losten	einer losten	eines losten	(keiner) losten
	dative	einem losten	einer losten	einem losten	(keinen) losten
	accusative	einen losten	eine loste	ein lostes	(keine) losten

Comparative forms of lost

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist loster	sie ist loster	es ist loster	sie sind loster
strong declension (without article)	nominative	losterer	lostere	losteres	lostere
	genitive	losteren	losterer	losteren	losterer
	dative	losterem	losterer	losterem	losteren
	accusative	losteren	lostere	losteres	lostere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der lostere	die lostere	das lostere	die losteren
	genitive	des losteren	der losteren	des losteren	der losteren
	dative	dem losteren	der losteren	dem losteren	den losteren
	accusative	den losteren	die lostere	das lostere	die losteren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein losterer	eine lostere	ein losteres	(keine) losteren
	genitive	eines losteren	einer losteren	eines losteren	(keiner) losteren
	dative	einem losteren	einer losteren	einem losteren	(keinen) losteren
	accusative	einen losteren	eine lostere	ein losteres	(keine) losteren

Superlative forms of lost

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am lostesten	sie ist am lostesten	es ist am lostesten	sie sind am lostesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	lostester	losteste	lostestes	losteste
	genitive	lostesten	lostester	lostesten	lostester
	dative	lostestem	lostester	lostestem	lostesten
	accusative	lostesten	losteste	lostestes	losteste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der losteste	die losteste	das losteste	die lostesten
	genitive	des lostesten	der lostesten	des lostesten	der lostesten
	dative	dem lostesten	der lostesten	dem lostesten	den lostesten
	accusative	den lostesten	die losteste	das losteste	die lostesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein lostester	eine losteste	ein lostestes	(keine) lostesten
	genitive	eines lostesten	einer lostesten	eines lostesten	(keiner) lostesten
	dative	einem lostesten	einer lostesten	einem lostesten	(keinen) lostesten
	accusative	einen lostesten	eine losteste	ein lostestes	(keine) lostesten

Further reading

• “lost” in Duden online
• “lost” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Icelandic

Noun

lost n (genitive singular losts, nominative plural lost)

1. shock

Declension

Declension of lost (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	lost	lostið	lost	lostin
accusative	lost	lostið	lost	lostin
dative	losti	lostinu	lostum	lostunum
genitive	losts	lostsins	losta	lostanna

Derived terms

• raflost

Further reading

• “lost” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)