Exact historical dictionary sense
Last in Webster's 1913 dictionary
The 1913 record labels last as adjective. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.
[OE. last, latst, contr. of latest, superl. of late; akin to OS. lezt, lazt, last, D. laatst, G. letzt. See Late, and cf. Latest.]
Cross-verified historical senseIn Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "last" is labeled adjective. Its etymology is recorded as: "[OE. last, latst, contr. of latest, superl. of late; akin to OS. lezt, lazt, last, D. laatst, G. letzt. See Late, and cf. Latest.]" The selected historical definition says: "Being after all the others, similarly classed or considered, in time, place, or order of succession; following all the rest; final; hindmost; farthest; as, the last year of a century; the last man in a line of soldiers; the last page in a book; his last chance."