Skip to content
word of the day

The word for today is…

utmost (adjective, noun):

adjective
1 : situated at the farthest or most distant point
2 : of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount

noun
1 : the most possible : the extreme limit : the highest attainable point or degree
2 : the highest, greatest, or best of one’s abilities, powers, and resources

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Utmost traces back to the Old English Utmest, a superlative adjective formed from the adverb Ut, meaning “out.” Utmest eventually evolved into utmost, perhaps influenced by the spelling of the word most. Not surprisingly, the earlier sense of utmost carries the same meaning as outermost. The second sense of utmost, meaning “of the greatest or highest degree,” first appeared in English in the 14th century but didn’t see frequent use until almost 400 years later. A related word is utter, meaning “absolute” or “total,” as in the phrase utter chaos; it comes from Old English utera, meaning “outer,” and ultimately from Ut.

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest