last /ˈlæst/
 (a.)最後的,唯一剩下的;上一個的,剛過去的;極少可能的,最不適合的;結論性的
 last
 最後 前次 末
 Last 3d pers. sing. pres. of Last, to endure, contracted from lasteth. [Obs.]
 Last a.
 1. Being after all the others, similarly classed or considered, in time, place, or order of succession; following all the rest; final; hindmost; farthest; as, the last year of a century; the last man in a line of soldiers; the last page in a book; his last chance.
    Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God.   --Neh. viii. 18.
    Fairest of stars, last in the train of night.   --Milton.
 2. Next before the present; as, I saw him last week.
 3. Supreme; highest in degree; utmost.
    Contending for principles of the last importance.   --R. Hall.
 4. Lowest in rank or degree; as, the a last place finish.
 5. Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or condition; most unlikely; having least fitness; as, he is the last person to be accused of theft.
 At last, at the end of a certain period; after delay. “The duke of Savoy felt that the time had at last arrived.” --Motley.
 At the last. [Prob. fr. AS. on lāste behind, following behind, fr. lāst race, track, footstep. See Last mold of the foot.] At the end; in the conclusion. [Obs.] “Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last.” --Gen. xlix. 19.
 Last heir, the person to whom lands escheat for lack of an heir. [Eng.] --Abbott.
 On one's last legs, at, or near, the end of one's resources; hence, on the verge of failure or ruin, especially in a financial sense. [Colloq.]
 To breathe one's last, to die.
 To the last, to the end; till the conclusion.
    And blunder on in business to the last.   --Pope.
 Syn: -- At Last, At Length.
 Usage: These phrases both denote that some delayed end or result has been reached. At length implies that a long period was spent in so doing; as, after a voyage of more than three months, we at Length arrived safe. At last commonly implies that something has occurred (as interruptions, disappointments, etc.) which leads us to emphasize the idea of having reached the end; as, in spite of every obstacle, we have at last arrived.
 Last adv.
 1. At a time or on an occasion which is the latest of all those spoken of or which have occurred; the last time; as, I saw him last in New York.
 2. In conclusion; finally; lastly.
 Pleased with his idol, he commends, admires,
 Adores; and, last, the thing adored desires.   --Dryden.
 3. At a time next preceding the present time.
 How long is't now since last yourself and I
 Were in a mask ?   --Shak.
 Last, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Lasting.]
 1. To continue in time; to endure; to remain in existence.
    [I] proffered me to be slave in all that she me would ordain while my life lasted.   --Testament of Love.
 2. To endure use, or continue in existence, without impairment or exhaustion; as, this cloth lasts better than that; the fuel will last through the winter.
 Last, n.  A wooden block shaped like the human foot, on which boots and shoes are formed.
    The cobbler is not to go beyond his last.   --L'Estrange.
 Darning last, a smooth, hard body, often egg-shaped, put into a stocking to preserve its shape in darning.
 Last, v. t. To shape with a last; to fasten or fit to a last; to place smoothly on a last; as, to last a boot.
 Last, n.
 1. A load; a heavy burden; hence, a certain weight or measure, generally estimated at 4,000 lbs., but varying for different articles and in different countries. In England, a last of codfish, white herrings, meal, or ashes, is twelve barrels; a last of corn, ten quarters, or eighty bushels, in some parts of England, twenty-one quarters; of gunpowder, twenty-four barrels, each containing 100 lbs; of red herrings, twenty cades, or 20,000; of hides, twelve dozen; of leather, twenty dickers; of pitch and tar, fourteen barrels; of wool, twelve sacks; of flax or feathers, 1,700 lbs.
 2. The burden of a ship; a cargo.
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 Late a. [Compar. Later or latter superl. Latest or Last ]
 1. Coming after the time when due, or after the usual or proper time; not early; slow; tardy; long delayed; as, a late spring.
 2. Far advanced toward the end or close; as, a late hour of the day; a late period of life.
 3. Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; recently deceased, departed, or gone out of office; as, the late bishop of London; the late administration.
 4. Not long past; happening not long ago; recent; as, the late rains; we have received late intelligence.
 5. Continuing or doing until an advanced hour of the night; as, late revels; a late watcher.
 last
      adj 1: immediately past; "last Thursday"; "the last chapter we
             read" [syn: last(a)]
      2: coming after all others in time or space or degree or being
         the only one remaining; "the last time I saw Paris"; "the
         last day of the month"; "had the last word"; "waited until
         the last minute"; "he raised his voice in a last supreme
         call"; "the last game of the season"; "down to his last
         nickel" [ant: intermediate, first]
      3: occurring at or forming an end or termination; "his
         concluding words came as a surprise"; "the final chapter";
         "the last days of the dinosaurs"; "terminal leave" [syn: concluding,
          final, terminal]
      4: conclusive in a process or progression; "the final answer";
         "a last resort"; "the net result" [syn: final, net]
      5: most unlikely or unsuitable; "the last person we would have
         suspected"; "the last man they would have chosen for the
         job"
      6: occurring at the time of death; "his last words"; "the last
         rites"
      7: not to be altered or undone; "the judge's decision is
         final"; "the arbiter will have the last say" [syn: final]
      8: lowest in rank or importance; "last prize"; "in last place"
         [syn: last-place, lowest]
      9: highest in extent or degree; "to the last measure of human
         endurance"; "whether they were accomplices in the last
         degree or a lesser one was...to be determined
         individually" [syn: utmost]
      10: in accord with the most fashionable ideas or style; "wears
          only the latest style"; "the last thing in swimwear";
          "knows the newest dances"; "cutting-edge technology"; "a
          with-it boutique" [syn: latest, newest, up-to-date,
           cutting-edge, with-it]
      n 1: the temporal end; the concluding time; "the stopping point
           of each round was signaled by a bell"; "the market was
           up at the finish"; "they were playing better at the
           close of the season" [syn: stopping point, finale, finis,
            finish, conclusion, close]
      2: the last or lowest in an ordering or series; "he was the
         last to leave"; "he finished an inglorious last"
      3: a person's dying act; the last thing a person can do; "he
         breathed his last"
      4: the time at which life ends; continuing until dead; "she
         stayed until his death"; "a struggle to the last" [syn: death]
      5: a unit of weight equal to 4,000 pounds
      6: a unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels
      7: the concluding parts of an event or occurrence; "the end was
         exciting"; "I had to miss the last of the movie" [syn: end,
          final stage]
      8: holding device shaped like a human foot that is used to
         fashion or repair shoes [syn: shoemaker's last, cobbler's
         last]
      adv 1: more recently than any other time; "I saw him last in
             London" [syn: most recently]
      2: the item at the end; "last, I'll discuss family values"
         [syn: lastly, in conclusion, finally]
      v 1: persist or be long; in time; "The bad weather lasted for
           three days" [syn: endure]
      2: continue to live; endure or last; "We went without water and
         food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the
         backwaters of America"; "The racecar driver lived through
         several very serious accidents" [syn: survive, live, live
         on, go, endure, hold up, hold out]