Superlative form of gaunt; the most thin, hollow-looking, or desolate in appearance.
Gaunt with the superlative suffix -est, forming the highest degree of the adjective. This is the standard English pattern for one-syllable adjectives.
The three-part pattern 'gaunt, gaunter, gauntest' shows how English still uses its old Germanic superlative system for short words, while we say 'more beautiful, most beautiful' for longer ones.
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