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Webster 1913 Edition

Foremost

Fore′mostˊ

,
Adj.
[OE.
formest
first, AS.
formest
,
fyrmest
, superl. of
forma
first, which is a superl. fr.
fore
fore; cf. Goth.
frumist
,
fruma
, first. See
Fore
,
adv.
, and cf.
First
,
Former
,
Frame
,
Verb.
T.
,
Prime
,
Adj.
]
First in time or place; most advanced; chief in rank or dignity;
as, the
foremost
troops of an army
.
THat struck the
foremost
man of all this world.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Foremost

FO'REMOST

, a.
1.
First in place; most advanced; as the foremost troops of an army.
2.
First in dignity. In honor he held the foremost rank.

Definition 2024

Foremost

Foremost

See also: foremost

English

Proper noun

Foremost

  1. A village in Alberta, Canada.

foremost

foremost

See also: Foremost

English

Adjective

foremost ‎(not comparable)

  1. first, either in time or in space
  2. of a higher rank or position; paramount
  3. (nautical) closest to the bow

Translations

Adverb

foremost ‎(not comparable)

  1. in front
  2. prominently forward

Translations

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 root *pr- + Latin superlative suffix -imus, from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-.

The Old English suffix -mest was eventually conflated with the word most through folk etymology, so that it is now interpreted as fore +‎ -most; former was back-formed analogically.

Pronunciation

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