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utmost

/ˈʌtməʊ̯st/ adjective

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about utmost at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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

adjective

  1. The most extreme; greatest, ultimate.
    the utmost assiduity

noun

  1. The greatest possible capability, extent, or quantity; maximum.
    at the utmost to the utmost

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)