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foremost

adj
/ˈfɔː.məʊst/UK

Etymology

From Old English formest, fyrmest (“earliest, first, most prominent”), from Proto-Germanic *frumistaz, from the locative stem *fur-, *fr- + the superlative suffix *-umistaz, stem ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pr-. The suffix *-umistaz was a compound suffix, created from the rarer comparative suffix *-umô (as in Old English fruma) + the regular superlative suffix *-istaz (English -est); *-umô in turn is from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-. Cognate with Old Frisian formest, Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌿𐌼𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (frumists). See for, first and Old English fruma for more. Partially cognate to primus, from Proto-Indo-European *pr- + Latin superlative suffix -imus, from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-. A comparative former was back-formed analogically, leaving the m from *-umô in place. Later the Old English suffix complex -(u)m-est was conflated with the word most through folk etymology, so that the word is now interpreted as fore + -most.

  1. derived from *-mHo-✻
  2. derived from *pr-✻
  3. inherited from *frumistaz✻
  4. inherited from formest

Definitions

  1. Positioned in front of (all) others in space, most forward.

    • She prankes not by hir mistresse side, she preases not to bée / The foremost of the companie, as when she erst was frée.
    • As I plunged into the reeds, my foremost pursuers emerged from the gap.
    • Juan Diego hadn’t noticed the other people in the temple, except for what appeared to be two mourners; they knelt in the foremost pew.

  2. Coming before (all) others in time.

    • […] of both them, she / (By Pallas counsell) was to haue the grace / Of foremost greeting.
    • 1769, Oliver Goldsmith, The Roman History, London: S. Baker and G. Leigh et al., Volume 1, Chapter 16, p. 254, He was the best horseman, and the swiftest runner of his time. He was ever the foremost to engage, and the last to retreat;

  3. Of the highest rank or position

    Of the highest rank or position; of the greatest importance; of the highest priority.

    • The exhibition features works by the country’s foremost artists.
    • Foremost among the workers’ grievances was the company’s failure to address the many safety issues in the plant.
    • What, shall one of us / That struck the foremost man of all this world / But for supporting robbers, shall we now / Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
  4. ›+ 5 more definitions

    1. Closest to the bow.

      • I let fall the tiller, turned my back on them, and sat down on the foremost thwart.

    2. In front, prominently forward.

      • 1820, John Keats, “Lamia,” Part 1, in Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: Taylor and Hessey, p. 15, She saw the young Corinthian Lycius / Charioting foremost in the envious race,
      • The little engine stood, tender foremost, at the platform, with its two coaches; [...].

    3. First in time.

      • c. 1618, Philip Massinger, Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, The Old Law, London: Edward Archer, 1656, Act III, Scene 1, p. 41, Alwayes the worst goes foremost, so twill prove I hope
      • Our thirst, at length, and hunger both sufficed, / I, foremost speaking, ask’d you to the wars

    4. Most importantly.

      • […] Mrs. Nickleby, with the utmost sincerity, gave vent to her sorrows after her own peculiar fashion of considering herself foremost,

    5. A village in Alberta, Canada.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for foremost. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA