Archaic superlative form meaning 'most easy' or 'most readily,' from the obsolete adjective 'eft' meaning easy or convenient.
From Old English efte (easy), related to Germanic roots meaning comfort or ease. The superlative form evolved before 'easy' became the standard English term.
English replaced dozens of easy-words—'eft' was common in Middle English but 'easy' (from Norman French) won out, leaving 'eftest' as a fossil in old texts showing how language competition works.
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