foremost
pronunciation
How to pronounce foremost in British English:
UK [ˈfɔːməʊst]
How to pronounce foremost in American English:
US [ˈfɔːrmoʊst]
-
- Adjective:
- ranking above all others
- situated closest to the bow
- preceding all others in spatial position
-
- Adverb:
- prominently forward
- before anything else
Word Origin
- foremost
- foremost: see former
- foremost (adj.)
- Middle English formest, from Old English fyrmest, formest "earliest, first, most prominent," from Proto-Germanic *furmista-/*frumista- (related to Old English fruma "beginning"), from PIE *pre-mo-, suffixed (superlative) form of root *per- (1) "forward, through; before; first" (see per) + additional superlative suffix -est. For the -m-, see -most, and compare similarly formed Old Frisian formest, Gothic frumists. Altered on the assumption that it is a compound of fore and most. The same compound without the superlative -m- is first. Also in Old English as an adverb, "first of all, at first, in the first place."
Example
- 1. First and foremost , greece should not leave the euro .
- 2. This requires the conviction and foremost courage of ms merkel .
- 3. First and foremost , one must live a proper life .
- 4. First and foremost she is a mother , she is a wife .
- 5. First and foremost , break the link between food prices and oil prices .