An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Last
Last, f. (UpG. masc.), from the equiv. MidHG. and MidLG. last, f. and m., ‘burden,’ OHG. last (earlier hlast); allied to laden Goth. hlaþan); the st is a suffix before which the final dental of the verbal stem hlaþ necessarily disappeared, AS. hlœst, n. E. last. In Scand. an old to- partic. assumed the meaning ‘waggon-load,’ hlass, n. (for *hlaþto-). The G. word passed into Rom. (Fr. lest, m., ‘ballast,’ laste, m., Ital. lasto, ‘load of shipping’). For further references comp. laden.