lest

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lest

(lĕst)

conj.

1. For fear that: tiptoed lest the guard should hear her; anxious lest he become ill.

2. So that someone or something not; in case someone or something might: "Lest anyone forget, adolescence is purgatory" (Jon Pareles).

[Middle English, from Old English (thȳ) lǣs the, (whereby) less that, so that not : lǣs, less; see less + the, relative conjunction; see to- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lest

(lɛst)

conj (subordinating; takes should or a subjunctive verb)

1. so as to prevent any possibility that: he fled the country lest he be captured and imprisoned.

2. (after verbs or phrases expressing fear, worry, anxiety, etc) for fear that; in case: he was alarmed lest she should find out.

[Old English the lǣste, earlier thӯ lǣs the, literally: whereby less that]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lest

(lɛst)

conj.

1. for fear that; so that (one) should not: I used notes lest faulty memory should lead me astray.

2. that (used after words expressing fear, danger, etc.): We worried lest the plan become known.

[before 1000; Middle English leste, late Old English the lǣste, earlier thȳ lǣs the literally, whereby less that =thȳ (see the²) + lǣs less + the relative particle)]

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lest

conjunction in case, in order to avoid, for fear that, in order to prevent I was afraid to open the door lest he should follow me.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

لِئلا، خِشْيَةَ أن

že by snad

i tilfælde af

dass

μήπως

etteijottei

ef; aî

per paura che per non

ka nelai ne

for at

že by snáď

-ecek diye-masın diye

唯恐

lest

[lest] CONJ (frm or liter)

1. (= in order to prevent) → para que no + subjun
lest we forget → para que no nos olvidemos, no sea que nos olvidemos
lest he catch me unprepared → para que no me coja or (LAm) agarre desprevenido

2. (= in case) I feared lest he should fall → temía que fuera a caerse
I didn't do it lest somebody should object → no lo hice por miedo a que alguien pusiera peros

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lest

[ˈlɛst] conj → de peur de + infin, de peur que + subj
lest he should follow me → de peur qu'il (ne) me suive

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

lest

conj (form)

(= for fear that) → aus Furcht, dass; (= in order that … not) → damit … nicht; (= in case) → für den Fall, dass; I didn’t do it lest somebody should object → ich habe es aus Furcht, dass jemand dagegen sein könnte, nicht getan; lest we forget → damit wir nicht vergessen

(after fear, be afraid etc) → dass; I was frightened lest he should fall → ich hatte Angst, dass er fallen könnte

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lest

[lɛst] conj (old) (frm) → nel timore che + sub, per paura che + sub
lest we forget → per non dimenticare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

lest

(lest) conjunction

in case. He was scared lest he should fail his exam.

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References in classic literature ?

For I dream I know not how, And my soul is sorely shaken Lest an evil step be taken, - Lest the dead who is forsaken May not be happy now.

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When ye fight with a Wolf of the Pack, ye must fight him alone and afar, Lest others take part in the quarrel, and the Pack be diminished by war.

If ye kill before midnight, be silent, and wake not the woods with your bay, Lest ye frighten the deer from the crops, and the brothers go empty away.

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Lothario did not care to tell Camilla the object Anselmo had in view, nor that he had afforded him the opportunity of attaining such a result, lest she should undervalue his love and think that it was by chance and without intending it and not of his own accord that he had made love to her.

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And now Mr Jones, having seen his good offices to that poor woman and her family brought to a happy conclusion, began to apply himself to his own concerns; but here, lest many of my readers should censure his folly for thus troubling himself with the affairs of others, and lest some few should think he acted more disinterestedly than indeed he did, we think proper to assure our reader, that he was so far from being unconcerned in this matter, that he had indeed a very considerable interest in bringing it to that final consummation.

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"If it is fallible," he replied, "there is the greater reason that I explain it, lest it mislead."

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For think, lest any languish By cause of thy distress The arrows of our anguish Fly farther than we guess.

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Agitated though he was, and with reason, the doctor did not forget to shut the house door, lest some passers-by might chance to see what had happened.

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They passed them on the road, browsing on the stunted grass; and the driver told them, that the poor beasts had wandered to the village first, but had been driven away, lest they should bring the vengeance of the crowd on any of the inhabitants.

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Live as quietly and as frugally as possible, and from today begin always to set aside something, lest misfortune again overtake you.

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'Conquest of Granada', but still a passion, and I should dread a little to read the piece now, lest I should disturb my old ideal of its beauty.

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"Thus I thought in my heart; then, tarrying not, lest fear should come upon me again, I swung up the Watcher, and crying aloud the war-cry of the Halakazi, I sprang over the brink of the rock and rushed upon the wolves.