Archaic second-person singular past tense of 'do,' meaning 'you did.' Used in Early Modern English and biblical contexts.
From Middle English 'didest,' formed by adding the second-person singular ending '-st' to 'did.' This construction was standard in English from roughly 1200-1600 CE. The form disappeared from common usage as English grammar simplified and the distinction between informal 'thou' and formal 'you' was abandoned.
This word is a linguistic time capsule from Shakespeare's era, when English had distinct verb forms for different persons, much like modern French or Spanish still do. You'll encounter 'didst' primarily in the King James Bible and Shakespearean plays, where it always pairs with 'thou' rather than 'you.'
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