Est

Est is a term with several distinct uses across language, geography, and standards. It can denote the Latin word for “is,” be an ISO language code related to Estonian, or serve as an abbreviation in timekeeping and documentation. The meaning depends on context.

In Latin, est is the third-person singular present indicative of esse, meaning “he/she/it is.” It appears in classical phrases and sentences and is often translated simply as “is.”

In language coding, est is the ISO 639-2 (and 639-2/T) code for the Estonian language. The corresponding ISO 639-1 two-letter code is et. Estonian is a Finnic language spoken mainly in Estonia, with around one million to slightly over one million native speakers. The code est is used in bibliographic and cataloging contexts to identify Estonian-language materials.

EST most commonly stands for Eastern Standard Time, the time zone UTC-5, used in parts of the eastern United States, Canada, and the Caribbean during the winter months. When daylight saving time is in effect, the region observes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), UTC-4. In informal usage, EST can refer to Eastern Time in general, though that can be imprecise without specifying standard or daylight time.

Other uses include est. as an abbreviation for estimated or established in documents and statistics. In English grammar, the suffix -est forms the superlative (fastest). Because Est has several unrelated meanings, context is essential to determine the correct interpretation.