leichtesten

Leichtesten is the superlative form of the German adjective leicht. It can describe the easiest items in a group or the lightest items, depending on the context. As a result, leichtesten appears in two main senses: ease and weight.

In usage, leichtesten typically functions as an attributive adjective before plural nouns, as in die leichtesten Aufgaben (the easiest tasks) or die leichtesten Optionen (the lightest options). It can also appear predicatively after a linking verb with a definite noun, for example: Diese Aufgaben sind die leichtesten. In adverbial use, the corresponding form am leichtesten means “most easily,” as in Das ist am leichtesten zu lösen (That is the easiest to solve).

Examples illustrate the scope of meaning:

- Die leichtesten Aufgaben mussten heute erledigt werden. (The easiest tasks had to be completed today.)

- Diese Materialien sind die leichtesten. (These materials are the lightest.)

- Das Problem ist am leichtesten zu lösen. (The problem is the easiest to solve.)

Notes:

- The meaning of leichtesten is determined by context: easy versus light in weight.

- The form erscheint primarily in plural constructions; singular forms take leichteste (die leichteste Aufgabe, der leichteste Weg).

- Leichtesten is not a proper noun; in some contexts, the adjective can be nominalized, but that is uncommon and typically capitalized as Leichtesten only in special stylistic cases.

Etymology traces leicht to Old High German and related Germanic roots; the superlative suffix -sten is the standard marker for the strongest degree of an adjective in German.