utmost

adj
/ˈʌtməʊ̯st/UK/ˈʌtmoʊ̯st/US

Etymology

PIE word *úd From Middle English utmost, utemest [and other forms], from Old English ūtmest, ūtemest [and other forms], from ūt, ūte (“out; outdoors, outside”) + -mest (suffix meaning ‘furthest’, used to form superlatives of some adjectives) (and conflated with most). Ūt is derived from Proto-Germanic *ūt (“out, outward”), from Proto-Indo-European *úd (“out, outward”). Equivalent to out + -most.

  1. derived from *úd — “out, outward
  2. inherited from *ūt — “out, outward
  3. inherited from ūtmest
  4. inherited from utmost

Definitions

  1. superlative form of utter

    superlative form of utter: most utter; situated at the most distant limit; farthest, outermost.

    • the utmost limits of the land
    • the utmost extent of human knowledge
    • Betwixt two thieves I [Jesus] ſpend my utmoſt breath, / As he that for ſome robberie ſuffereth.
  2. The most extreme

    The most extreme; greatest, ultimate.

    • the utmost assiduity
    • the utmost harmony
    • the utmost misery or happiness
  3. The greatest possible capability, extent, or quantity

    The greatest possible capability, extent, or quantity; maximum.

    • at the utmost    to the utmost
    • [...] I am reſolved to pluck up the heart of a man, and to try my utmoſt to get from under his hand.
    • [T]he utmoſt they could do, was to perſuade Him to lay aſide all Rancor and Diſcontent againſt thoſe Confederate Lords, and to hearken to their deſires.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at utmost. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01utmost02greatest03great04wonderful05admirable06heroic07supremely

A definitional loop anchored at utmost. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

7 hops · closes at utmost

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

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