lastnessn.
/ˈlɑːs(t)nəs/, /ˈlas(t)nəs/, U.S. /ˈlæs(t)nəs/ The condition or fact of being last. Also: †the condition or fact of there being a last one (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > preceding or following in order > [noun] > the placing of one thing after another > the last one > condition of
lastness?a1425
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 163 And for þi was it [sc. cautery] seid in olde tyme þe last instrument of medicyne, noȝt for lastnez of þe ende [L. ultimate finis] bot of ordre.
1635 A. Gil Sacred Philos. Holy Script. i. xiii. 89 If the world be eternall, then neither was there any first man, neither can there be any last: without which lastnesse there cannot be any generall resurrection of men.
a1665 J. Goodwin Πλήρωμα τὸ Πνευματικόv (1670) vi. 96 Lastness, or worstness, in estate, or condition.
1753 C. Colden Let. 7 July in Coll. N.Y. Hist. Soc. (1921) 4 396 You may likewise think there is some degree of lastness in the Answer.
1861 J. Muir Orig. Sanskrit Texts III. i. 79 As the lastness ultimately coincides with..the firstness, and as there is a triple repetition of the words, this sentence is tautological.
1927 ‘E. Bramah’ Max Carrados Myst. 72 Your account..is entirely based on the fact that you were the last... There stands the man we want,..only you and your lastness get between.
1993 Observer (Nexis) 1 Aug. 48 Reports of the death of the high-tech action film, of the lastness of Last Action Hero, have been greatly exaggerated.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?a1425