The correct spelling of the phrase "most efficacious" is often misspelled as "wast efficacious." The correct pronunciation is /moʊst ɪˈfɪkeɪʃəs/. The word "most" is pronounced with a long "o" sound, while "efficacious" is pronounced with stress on the second syllable and with a "sh" sound for the "ci" combination. The misspelling may be due to confusion with old English, where "wast" was a word meaning "were." However, in modern English, "wast" is an archaic form of "was."
The phrase "wast efficacious" is a combination of two separate words, each with its own etymology:
1. "Wast":
The word "wast" is an archaic form of the verb "was", used primarily in older versions of the English language such as Middle English and Early Modern English. The word "was" has its roots in Old English "wæs" and Germanic "was". The etymology of "wast" can be traced back to these forms, indicating its historical usage in English as a past tense form of the verb "to be".
2. "Efficacious":
The word "efficacious" comes from the Latin word "efficax", meaning "effective" or "capable of producing a desired effect". The Latin word is derived from the verb "efficere", which means "to make" or "to bring about".