A Dictionary of Epithets and Terms of Address
This expression is used by Baroness Ingram to her adult daughter in Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë. In one instance she equates it with ‘my dearest’, with which it is entirely analogous. This use of ‘best’ is, however, rare, and seems to have escaped the observation of the Oxford English Dictionary compilers.
This is the complete article, containing 54 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
