schnellste

Schnellste is the superlative form of schnell in German, meaning the fastest or quickest. It is used to identify the highest speed within a defined group, for example das schnellste Auto or der schnellste Läufer. The word can function as an adjective and, when capitalized in contexts such as der Schnellste or die Schnellste, as a noun referring to the person or thing that is fastest.

Grammar and inflection: schnell forms the superlative with the ending -ste, yielding schnellste. It agrees with the noun in gender and number: der schnellste Mann, die schnellste Frau, das schnellste Auto, die schnellsten Fahrzeuge. When used as a noun, the form is capitalized: der Schnellste, die Schnellste, das Schnellste, die Schnellsten.

Etymology and usage: schnell derives from Old High German snel, with the -ste suffix forming the superlative in Early New High German. The sense is "having the highest speed." The word appears frequently in sports, automotive contexts, engineering, software benchmarks, and headlines such as das schnellste Smartphone or das schnellste Serienauto.

Usage notes: schnellste is often accompanied by the definite article or possessive determiner to indicate a unique fastest item in a set. In comparative constructions, schneller means faster, and am schnellsten means the fastest of all. Example: Dieser Wagen ist der schnellste in der Klasse.