Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gnast

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
gnast
IPA
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A spark; a dying or dead spark, as of a snuffed candle.

Obsolete

verb

To gnash.

Obsolete

Etymology

From Middle English gnast, knast, from Old English *gnāst (“spark”) (attested in fȳrgnāst (“spark of fire”)), from Proto-Germanic *gahnaistô (“spark”), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + Proto-Germanic *hnaistô (“spark”), perhaps from the ultimate (imitative) source of German knistern (“to crackle”). Cognate with German dialectal Ganster (“spark”), Danish gnist (“spark, sparkle”), Swedish gnista (“spark”), Icelandic gneisti, neisti (“spark”), German Gneis (“spark, gneiss”) (whence English gneiss).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: gnast, *gnāst, *gahnaistô, *ga-, *hnaistô, gnasten

Usage

Inflected Forms

gnasts (plural) gnasts (present, singular) gnasting (participle, present) gnasted (participle, past) gnasted (past)

Derived Forms

gnasting

Rhymes With

last past asked fast passed cast the die is cast vast blast mast classed hast

Questions

What does gnast mean?
A spark; a dying or dead spark, as of a snuffed candle.
Where does gnast come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce gnast

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gnast”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “gnast”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “gnast” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.