Guest

[gest] /gɛst/

noun
1.
a person who spends some time at another person’s home in some social activity, as a visit, dinner, or party.
2.
a person who receives the hospitality of a club, a city, or the like.
3.
a person who patronizes a hotel, restaurant, etc., for the lodging, food, or entertainment it provides.
4.
an often well-known person invited to participate or perform in a regular program, series, etc., as a substitute for a regular member or as a special attraction.
5.
Zoology. an inquiline.
verb (used with object)
6.
to entertain as a guest.
verb (used without object)
7.
to be a guest; make an appearance as a guest:
She’s been guesting on all the TV talk shows.
adjective
8.
provided for or done by a guest:
a guest towel; a guest column for a newspaper.
9.
participating or performing as a guest:
a guest conductor.
[gest] /gɛst/
noun
1.
Edgar A(lbert) 1881–1959, U.S. journalist and writer of verse, born in England.
/ɡɛst/
noun
1.
a person who is entertained, taken out to eat, etc, and paid for by another
2.

3.

4.

5.
a patron of a hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc
6.
(zoology) a nontechnical name for inquiline
7.
(informal) be my guest, do as you like
verb
8.
(intransitive) (in theatre and broadcasting) to be a guest: to guest on a show
n.

Old English gæst, giest (Anglian gest) “guest; enemy; stranger,” the common notion being “stranger,” from Proto-Germanic *gastiz (cf. Old Frisian jest, Dutch gast, German Gast, Gothic gasts “guest,” originally “stranger”), from PIE root *ghosti- “strange” (cf. Latin hostis “enemy,” hospes “host” — from *hosti-potis “host, guest,” originally “lord of strangers” — Greek xenos “guest, host, stranger;” Old Church Slavonic gosti “guest, friend,” gospodi “lord, master”).

Spelling evolution influenced by Old Norse cognate gestr (the usual sound changes from the Old English word would have yielded Modern English *yest). Phrase be my guest in the sense of “go right ahead” first recorded 1955.
see: be my guest