lowestadj.n.adv.

Brit.

/ˈləʊᵻst/, U.S.

/ˈloʊəst/

Forms:

α. early Middle English laȝhesst ( Ormulum), early Middle English laheste, Middle English laghyst; Scottish pre-1700 lachest, pre-1700 lauchest, pre-1700 leuchest, pre-1700 1700s 1900s– laichest, pre-1700 1700s– laighest, 1700s leaghest.

β. Middle English loueste, Middle English louwest, Middle English loweste, Middle English lowist, Middle English lowist, Middle English– lowest, 1500s loest.

γ. Middle English loȝeste, Middle English louȝist, Middle English lowhest.

δ. Middle English lauest, Middle English lawest, Middle English laweste, Middle English lawyst; Scottish pre-1700 laues, pre-1700 lawast, pre-1700 lawaste, pre-1700 lawest; N.E.D. (1903) also records a form late Middle English lauist.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: low adj., -est suffix.

Etymology: < low adj. + -est suffix.For a full discussion of forms see low adj. and n.²

A. adj.

1. The superlative of low adj. (in various senses).

ΚΠ

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15276 Þiss follc iss laȝhesst.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 2438 In þe firmament beþ Planetes..& þe Mone lowest is.

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. l. 115 Lucifer louwest liȝþ of hem alle [sc. the fallen angels].

R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle Fire of Love 8 Slyke soþly ar moste haly, & ȝit of men ar haldyn laghyst.

a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection (1531) iii. f. CCvii^v Aboue this lowest hell, there is another hell called purgatory.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. xxxiii^v The lowest sorte of the vile and rusticall people.

a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 89 I sall mak..the hiest stone the leuchest.

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 354 You would sound mee from my lowest note to my compasse.

1682 J. Flavell Righteous Man's Refuge in Pract. Treat. Fear (new ed.) 179 When things have been brought to the lowest ebb.

1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales Courtiers Oracle xxxi. 27 The true skill at play, is to know how to discard. The lowest Card that turns up, is better than the highest of the former dealing.

1751 London Daily Advertiser & Lit. Gaz. 3 May 1/2 Those Bundles of Tow which had hung lowest..were wet sooner than those which were placed higher.

1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 419 Perjury..Sells oaths by tale and at the lowest price.

1835 United Service Jrnl. Feb. 191 Prying, inquisitive, full of bluster and the lowest slang, he tormented us throughout the whole day's march with his conversation.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. iii. 247 The lowest atmospheric strata.

1862 Building News 23 May 1/2 The Board do not bind themselves to accept the lowest or any Tender.

1914 F. E. Fritsch & E. J. Salisbury Introd. Study Plants xxvii. 341 Below the level of the lowest tides there is abundant plant-life.

1968 Chicago Tribune 30 Aug. ii. 12/3 Bake on lowest rack of oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

2010 Private Eye 5 Mar. 20/3 ‘It was the lowest moment of my life,’ said Mr Darling.

†2. Chiefly poetic. Designating the bottom or lowest part of something. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective] > lowest

nethemesteOE

nethereOE

netherestc1350

lowerc1384

nethermosta1387

lowest1538

lowermost1547

lowmost1548

undermost1555

downmostc1600

bottommost1694

downermost1831

nadiral1891

1538 M. Coverdale tr. M. Luther Expos. Magnificat sig. Bviii Yf she had done so, than hadde she fallen wyth Lucifer into the lowest bottome of hell.

1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. v. sig. P8 But when she list, it raught Downe to her lowest heele.

1611 Bible (King James) Psalms lxxxvi. 13 Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest hell.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 882 That the lowest bottom shook Of Erebus.

1743 J. Davidson tr. Virgil Æneid i. 13 in Wks. Virgil I. At once East and South, and stormy Southwest plough up the whole Deep from its lowest Bottom.

1819 New Monthly Mag. May 333/2 Look on his lowest heart, and trace, What time can deepen, not deface.

B. n.

1. The lowest part or point of something. Now only in Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > lowest position > bottom or lowest part

bottomeOE

foota1200

lowestc1225

roota1382

tailc1390

founcea1400

basement1610

sole1615

fund1636

foot piece1657

footing1659

underneath1676

bottom side1683

ass1700

doup1710

keel1726

the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > lowest position

foota1200

bottomc1400

lowmost1578

lowest1640

undermost1822

the world > space > relative position > low position > [phrase] > in lowest position

lowest1640

c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Royal) (1934) 35 Þe engles..seoð ham lihten swa lah of so swiðe heh, from þe heste in heouene to þe laheste in helle.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 183 Þe laste [of] þe erþe toucheþ þe lowest of þe water, and þe ouermeste of þe water toucheþ þe loweste of þe ayer.

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Matt. xxvii. 51 And lo! the veil of the temple was to-rent in twey parties, fro the hiest to the lowest.

1570 W. Fulke Serm. preached at Hampton Court sig. E.iv^v So impossible it is that Babylon when she is at the lowest of her fall, should ever be set vp againe.

1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes iii. xxxvii. 156 When a man thinks them at the lowest of the wheele, hee shall be sure to find them on the top.

1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (cvii. 39–41 Paraphr.) 546 Just when they are brought to the lowest.

2. The person who or thing which is lowest, esp. in position, status, quality, or degree (also with plural agreement when more than one person or thing is denoted). Also: that which is lowest; the lowest amount or quantity.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > lowest position > one who or that which is lowest

lowestc1300

lowermore1663

c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 1175 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 140 (MED) Al with-Inne seten is men, as þei he lowest were.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvi. lxxxix. 873 [The stoone sardonix] is wiþ þre colours for þe blak is þe lowest, þe white is þe myddel, þe rede..is hiȝeste.

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 267 Blak..representis the erde..jt is the lawest of degree of all the four elementis.

1566 T. Becon New Postil ii. f. 133 He..thoughte hym selfe the lowest of the stocke of Beniamyn.

1609 R. Gray Alarum to Eng. sig. K^v Let vs al, from the highest to the lowest, fall downe and kneele before the Lord our maker.

1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentleman 115 And so we descend from the Necessitie of a Vocation, to inquire whether any from the highest to the lowest be exempted from it.

1717 G. Smalridge Twelve Serm. xi. 416 God, who..hath forc'd them to acknowledge the Frailty of their Mortal Natures, by levelling them with the very lowest of Men.

1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 588 The rich, and they that have an arm to check The licence of the lowest in degree.

1830 R. Hardie Hoyle made Familiar 62 [Cassino] When three persons play..the two lowest subtract their points from the highest.

1843 E. B. Pusey Serm. Holy Eucharist 15 Lowest is joined on with highest, earth with heaven..man with God.

1907 Jrnl. Gypsy Lore Soc. New Ser. 1 169 Back slang and cantin' and rhymin' is grown vulgar, and Italian always was the lowest of the lot.

1971 Crisis Sept. 210/1 The Californian did not attach much credence to IQ scores, pointing out that children who score the lowest are whites in Appalachia.

1990 G. Hammond Fleeting Things v. 135 Jonson's poem..is an address from the lowest to the highest, but the lowest has an equal dignity.

C. adv.

The superlative of low adv.; so as to be most low; towards the lowest position; in the lowest manner or degree.

ΚΠ

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 704 Whanne he berth lowest the Seil, Thanne is he swiftest to beguile The womman.

?1549 R. Wyer tr. C. de Pisan C. Hyst. Troye lxxiv. sig. Q.i^v And such as syt hyghest, fall lowest somtyme by chaunce.

1603 J. Davies Microcosmos 39 Since our Proto-parents lowest fall, Our wisdomes highest pitch (God wot) is low.

1694 J. Smith Horol. Disquis. 77 For that Reason the Glass in the wettest Weather always sinks lowest.

1711 E. Budgell Spectator No. 150. ⁋7 My Banker ever bows lowest to me when I wear my full-bottom'd Wig.

1874 M. Lovett-Cameron 'Twixt Cup & Lip I. xi. 153 Often when she was singing lowest and with least outward effort, there would be something that seemed to speak of wild despair.

1890 Auk 7 370 They seem to fly lowest..on cloudy and especially rainy nights.

1904 E. N. Hardy Churches & Educated Men vi. 119 There is religious declension at the beginning, sinking lowest about the middle of the second decade, slowly rising never again to fall so low for the remainder of the century.

2002 U.S. News & World Rep. 21 Jan. 20/3 The employees who scored lowest were fired.

Phrases

P1. Cf. sense B. 1.

a. at one's (also the) lowest: at the lowest point, position, or level; at the lowest ebb (cf. ebb n. 2b). In early use also †at lowest.

ΚΠ

1485 W. Caxton tr. Thystorye & Lyf Charles the Grete sig. eviii^v/1 The walles ben of grete strengthe For at the lowest may wel be mesured ten ellys a brede.

a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 53 Put þe euer atte lowist, and þe hyest shal be ȝoven to þe, for þe hiest may not stonde wiþoute þe lowist.

1578 W. B. tr. Appian of Alexandria Aunc. Hist. Romanes Warres ii. 104 The winter Sunne was at the lowest.

1594 T. Blundeville Exercises vii. xl. f. 337^v When those guards be iust Northeast from the Lodestar then the Lodestarre is againe in the Meridian at his lowest.

1610 J. Mason Turke i. i. sig. B2^v Did I not thinke my fortunes ebbe at lowest?

1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Triumph of Faith xix. 189 Christ in himself and intrinsecally was the glory, the flower, the Prince of men, even at his lowest.

1666 J. Wallis Let. 25 Apr. in R. Boyle Corr. (2001) III. 144 About the Full-moon and New-moon the Tides are at the Highest, at the Quadratures the Tides are at the Lowest.

1721 R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. I. i. 11 For many Years they continued either under Bond and Bail, or Confinement, as a Reward for their Concern and Sufferings for the King's Interest, when at its lowest.

1796 W. Marshall Rural Econ. W. Eng. II. 270 A paltry, ill shapen, wooden frame or floodgate..receives about half the waters of the Mew; now lower than usual, but not at their lowest.

1832 J. Bell Syst. Geogr. (new ed.) VI. 20 Its depth at the same place, is 65 fathoms..in the month of March, when the river is at the lowest.

1897 C. Headlam Sel. Brit. Satirists 64 When taste was almost at its lowest in England.

1918 H. T. Comstock Mam'selle Jo xxiii. 352 You're a sturdy sort; you've stuck it out with me at my lowest.

2005 Metro 21 Dec. (London ed.) 4/3 Suicide rates in England are at their lowest ever.

b. at lowest: at worst, at least. Also at the lowest.

ΚΠ

1640 J. Shirley Coronation v. sig. I2 Shall I thinke I have not at the lowest enough merit, Setting aside my birth, to poyze with yours.

1703 tr. S. von Pufendorf Of Law of Nature & Nations viii. iv. 195/1 Simple Esteem among such as live in a Commonwealth, is that by which a Man is look'd upon to be at lowest a common, but a sound Member of the State.

1762 London Chron. 18 Sept. 284/1 There had stood a disadvantage against all undertakers of corn-raising, of 20 per cent. at lowest, by reason of the high price of labour.., and the low price of corn.

1861 J. S. Mill Considerations Representative Govt. xviii. 336 Men who had been brought up to their duties, and had fulfilled them for many years, at lowest without disgrace.

1950 A. P. Rossiter Eng. Drama x. 146 At lowest it is case-hardened jesting about syphilis.

1986 R. Syme Augustan Aristocracy (1989) xiii. 181 At the lowest, he was counted safe and sagacious.

2002 J. T. Mugambwa & H. A. Amankwah Land Law & Policy in Papua New Guinea (ed. 2) iii. 146 The decision..was, at lowest, a decision by default.

P2. the lowest of the low: (one of) the people regarded as the most socially inferior of all; the people who occupy the lowest rank within society, an organization, etc. Also: a person who or an action, situation, etc., which is extremely undesirable or immoral, or considered worst example of a particular type. [In quot. 1744 with allusion to Qur'an 95:5, which has Arabic thumma radadnāhu 'asfala sāfilīna ‘then we relegated him (i.e. man) to the lowest of the low’.]

ΚΠ

1744 J. Miller Mahomet Impostor ii. i. 23 Have I not known thee, Mahomet, When void of Wealth, Inheritance, or Fame, Rank'd with the lowest of the Low at Mecca?

1847 Liverpool Mercury 27 Apr. Crime is engendered amongst the lowest of the low..among beggars, sand-sellers, coal-pickers or stealers.

1870 J. W. Harsha Song of Redeemed xii. 406 Her son [sc. Jesus]..who, on account of his humble parentage, was regarded as the lowest of the low.

1955 Billboard 13 Aug. 1/1 The announcer, once thought of as the lowest of the low in broadcasting, has risen to a position of eminence..in TV.

1978 Washington Post (Nexis) 8 Aug. c1 Juvenile court..is on the outer edge of the legal universe. This simply is not considered a prestigious job, but the lowest of the low.

1992 P. Scanlan Finishing Touches (1999) 282 At least I don't have to resort to stealing another woman's husband. That's the lowest of the low.

2000 Big Issue in Scotl. 24 Feb. 7/1 Child sex offenders are..the lowest of the low.

Compounds

C1. Uses of the adverb to form superlative adjectives (and derived nouns) corresponding to compounds of low adv., as lowest-paid, lowest-ranking, lowest-scoring, etc.

ΚΠ

1655 E. Terry Voy. E.-India 111 Our English in those parts have a free Trade for no kind of Spice, but for that, which is one of the lowest prized, namely Pepper.

1762 D. Hume Hist. Eng. to Henry VII II. xxiii. 441 The period in which the people of Christendom were the lowest sunk in ignorance.

1834 Tait's Edinb. Mag. New Ser. 1 725/1 In 1799 the salary of our lowest-paid Judges was £1000.

1838 J. C. Loudon Arboretum II. lxix. 1177 The lowest-growing species are placed next the walk.

1928 Times 20 July 20/3 The highest-yielding clone has latex vessels of much smaller bore than the lowest-yielding clone.

1966 C. Siragusa & R. Wiedrich Trail of Poppy Gloss. 234 ‘Soldier’, the lowest-ranking Mafia member.

1974 Guardian 24 Jan. 4/3 His scheme would help the lowest paid.

1997 Chicago Tribune 14 Dec. iii. 9/1 Utah survived Dallas' slow-down offense in the lowest-scoring NBA game this season.

C2. Uses of the adjective to form superlative adjectives corresponding to compounds of low adj.

a. Parasynthetic (cf. low adj. and n.² Compounds 2a), as lowest-priced, lowest-ranked, etc.

ΚΠ

a1640 Earl of Stirling Anacrisis in J. E. Spingairn Crit. Ess. 17th Cent. (1908) I. 184 In a more abject Manner than the lowest minded Man could have descended to conceive.

1733 P. Lindsay Interest Scotl. 106 At Gallowshiels are made a few coarse Kerseys,..and was their Wooll better scribled,..they might serve in place of the lowest-pric'd York-shires.

1798 Monthly Rev. Apr. 395 Suppose that the lowest sized cottage, for the poorest labourer..will cost 100l.

1806 C. Wilkinson Tour through Asia Minor xxi. 223 They choose for their bed-chambers the smallest and lowest roofed rooms on the ground floor.

1878 St. Joseph (Mich.) Traveler Herald 25 May (advt.) Children's Suits, from the lowest priced Calico Romp Suits to the most costly Graduation and Party dresses.

1921 F. F. Ellsworth Band-wagon xxxiii. 357 Boise had raked her trunk and brought out her smartest and lowest-necked organdie, her shamelessly short skirt.

1990 M. Winegardner Prophet of Sandlots xv. 265 The team had the lowest-rated farm system in baseball.

1995 Car & Driver Buyers Guide 30 June 186/1 GM's lowest-priced droptop since the demise of the Geo Metro convertible.

2003 Holiday Which? Spring 80/2 [It] is the lowest-ranked no-frills airline overall and does poorly on most aspects of its service.

b. In noun phrases used attributively (cf. low adj. and n.² Compounds 1), as lowest-cost, lowest-quality, etc.

ΚΠ

1839 Railway Times 24 Aug. 653/1 I believe the lowest class fares on the Antwerp Railway are below 1d. per mile.

1891 Amer. Machinist 5 Mar. 8/2 Other things being equal, the highest priced labor produces the lowest cost goods.

1967 Physical Rev. 157 832 The lowest-energy excited state at a given angular momentum.

1989 A. Lorenz Fighting Chance iv. 109 Is it keeping our industry the most efficient in the world, the lowest-cost producer?

1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 440 If I am being very severe, I eat this with just a raita made with the lowest-fat fromage frais.

2009 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Apr. 173/3 Various people who sold them the lowest-quality assets.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	lowest
释义	lowestadj.n.adv. Brit. /ˈləʊᵻst/, U.S. /ˈloʊəst/ Forms: α. early Middle English laȝhesst ( Ormulum), early Middle English laheste, Middle English laghyst; Scottish pre-1700 lachest, pre-1700 lauchest, pre-1700 leuchest, pre-1700 1700s 1900s– laichest, pre-1700 1700s– laighest, 1700s leaghest. β. Middle English loueste, Middle English louwest, Middle English loweste, Middle English lowist, Middle English lowist, Middle English– lowest, 1500s loest. γ. Middle English loȝeste, Middle English louȝist, Middle English lowhest. δ. Middle English lauest, Middle English lawest, Middle English laweste, Middle English lawyst; Scottish pre-1700 laues, pre-1700 lawast, pre-1700 lawaste, pre-1700 lawest; N.E.D. (1903) also records a form late Middle English lauist. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: low adj., -est suffix. Etymology: < low adj. + -est suffix.For a full discussion of forms see low adj. and n.² A. adj. 1. The superlative of low adj. (in various senses). ΚΠ c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15276 Þiss follc iss laȝhesst. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 2438 In þe firmament beþ Planetes..& þe Mone lowest is. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. l. 115 Lucifer louwest liȝþ of hem alle [sc. the fallen angels]. R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle Fire of Love 8 Slyke soþly ar moste haly, & ȝit of men ar haldyn laghyst. a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection (1531) iii. f. CCvii^v Aboue this lowest hell, there is another hell called purgatory. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. xxxiii^v The lowest sorte of the vile and rusticall people. a1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 89 I sall mak..the hiest stone the leuchest. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 354 You would sound mee from my lowest note to my compasse. 1682 J. Flavell Righteous Man's Refuge in Pract. Treat. Fear (new ed.) 179 When things have been brought to the lowest ebb. 1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales Courtiers Oracle xxxi. 27 The true skill at play, is to know how to discard. The lowest Card that turns up, is better than the highest of the former dealing. 1751 London Daily Advertiser & Lit. Gaz. 3 May 1/2 Those Bundles of Tow which had hung lowest..were wet sooner than those which were placed higher. 1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 419 Perjury..Sells oaths by tale and at the lowest price. 1835 United Service Jrnl. Feb. 191 Prying, inquisitive, full of bluster and the lowest slang, he tormented us throughout the whole day's march with his conversation. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. iii. 247 The lowest atmospheric strata. 1862 Building News 23 May 1/2 The Board do not bind themselves to accept the lowest or any Tender. 1914 F. E. Fritsch & E. J. Salisbury Introd. Study Plants xxvii. 341 Below the level of the lowest tides there is abundant plant-life. 1968 Chicago Tribune 30 Aug. ii. 12/3 Bake on lowest rack of oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. 2010 Private Eye 5 Mar. 20/3 ‘It was the lowest moment of my life,’ said Mr Darling. †2. Chiefly poetic. Designating the bottom or lowest part of something. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective] > lowest nethemesteOE nethereOE netherestc1350 lowerc1384 nethermosta1387 lowest1538 lowermost1547 lowmost1548 undermost1555 downmostc1600 bottommost1694 downermost1831 nadiral1891 1538 M. Coverdale tr. M. Luther Expos. Magnificat sig. Bviii Yf she had done so, than hadde she fallen wyth Lucifer into the lowest bottome of hell. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. v. sig. P8 But when she list, it raught Downe to her lowest heele. View more context for this quotation 1611 Bible (King James) Psalms lxxxvi. 13 Thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest hell. View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 882 That the lowest bottom shook Of Erebus. View more context for this quotation 1743 J. Davidson tr. Virgil Æneid i. 13 in Wks. Virgil I. At once East and South, and stormy Southwest plough up the whole Deep from its lowest Bottom. 1819 New Monthly Mag. May 333/2 Look on his lowest heart, and trace, What time can deepen, not deface. B. n. 1. The lowest part or point of something. Now only in Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > lowest position > bottom or lowest part bottomeOE foota1200 lowestc1225 roota1382 tailc1390 founcea1400 basement1610 sole1615 fund1636 foot piece1657 footing1659 underneath1676 bottom side1683 ass1700 doup1710 keel1726 the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > lowest position foota1200 bottomc1400 lowmost1578 lowest1640 undermost1822 the world > space > relative position > low position > [phrase] > in lowest position lowest1640 c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Royal) (1934) 35 Þe engles..seoð ham lihten swa lah of so swiðe heh, from þe heste in heouene to þe laheste in helle. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 183 Þe laste [of] þe erþe toucheþ þe lowest of þe water, and þe ouermeste of þe water toucheþ þe loweste of þe ayer. a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Matt. xxvii. 51 And lo! the veil of the temple was to-rent in twey parties, fro the hiest to the lowest. 1570 W. Fulke Serm. preached at Hampton Court sig. E.iv^v So impossible it is that Babylon when she is at the lowest of her fall, should ever be set vp againe. 1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes iii. xxxvii. 156 When a man thinks them at the lowest of the wheele, hee shall be sure to find them on the top. 1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (cvii. 39–41 Paraphr.) 546 Just when they are brought to the lowest. 2. The person who or thing which is lowest, esp. in position, status, quality, or degree (also with plural agreement when more than one person or thing is denoted). Also: that which is lowest; the lowest amount or quantity. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > low position > [noun] > lowest position > one who or that which is lowest lowestc1300 lowermore1663 c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 1175 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 140 (MED) Al with-Inne seten is men, as þei he lowest were. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvi. lxxxix. 873 [The stoone sardonix] is wiþ þre colours for þe blak is þe lowest, þe white is þe myddel, þe rede..is hiȝeste. c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 267 Blak..representis the erde..jt is the lawest of degree of all the four elementis. 1566 T. Becon New Postil ii. f. 133 He..thoughte hym selfe the lowest of the stocke of Beniamyn. 1609 R. Gray Alarum to Eng. sig. K^v Let vs al, from the highest to the lowest, fall downe and kneele before the Lord our maker. 1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentleman 115 And so we descend from the Necessitie of a Vocation, to inquire whether any from the highest to the lowest be exempted from it. 1717 G. Smalridge Twelve Serm. xi. 416 God, who..hath forc'd them to acknowledge the Frailty of their Mortal Natures, by levelling them with the very lowest of Men. 1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 588 The rich, and they that have an arm to check The licence of the lowest in degree. 1830 R. Hardie Hoyle made Familiar 62 [Cassino] When three persons play..the two lowest subtract their points from the highest. 1843 E. B. Pusey Serm. Holy Eucharist 15 Lowest is joined on with highest, earth with heaven..man with God. 1907 Jrnl. Gypsy Lore Soc. New Ser. 1 169 Back slang and cantin' and rhymin' is grown vulgar, and Italian always was the lowest of the lot. 1971 Crisis Sept. 210/1 The Californian did not attach much credence to IQ scores, pointing out that children who score the lowest are whites in Appalachia. 1990 G. Hammond Fleeting Things v. 135 Jonson's poem..is an address from the lowest to the highest, but the lowest has an equal dignity. C. adv. The superlative of low adv.; so as to be most low; towards the lowest position; in the lowest manner or degree. ΚΠ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 704 Whanne he berth lowest the Seil, Thanne is he swiftest to beguile The womman. ?1549 R. Wyer tr. C. de Pisan C. Hyst. Troye lxxiv. sig. Q.i^v And such as syt hyghest, fall lowest somtyme by chaunce. 1603 J. Davies Microcosmos 39 Since our Proto-parents lowest fall, Our wisdomes highest pitch (God wot) is low. 1694 J. Smith Horol. Disquis. 77 For that Reason the Glass in the wettest Weather always sinks lowest. 1711 E. Budgell Spectator No. 150. ⁋7 My Banker ever bows lowest to me when I wear my full-bottom'd Wig. 1874 M. Lovett-Cameron 'Twixt Cup & Lip I. xi. 153 Often when she was singing lowest and with least outward effort, there would be something that seemed to speak of wild despair. 1890 Auk 7 370 They seem to fly lowest..on cloudy and especially rainy nights. 1904 E. N. Hardy Churches & Educated Men vi. 119 There is religious declension at the beginning, sinking lowest about the middle of the second decade, slowly rising never again to fall so low for the remainder of the century. 2002 U.S. News & World Rep. 21 Jan. 20/3 The employees who scored lowest were fired. Phrases P1. Cf. sense B. 1. a. at one's (also the) lowest: at the lowest point, position, or level; at the lowest ebb (cf. ebb n. 2b). In early use also †at lowest. ΚΠ 1485 W. Caxton tr. Thystorye & Lyf Charles the Grete sig. eviii^v/1 The walles ben of grete strengthe For at the lowest may wel be mesured ten ellys a brede. a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 53 Put þe euer atte lowist, and þe hyest shal be ȝoven to þe, for þe hiest may not stonde wiþoute þe lowist. 1578 W. B. tr. Appian of Alexandria Aunc. Hist. Romanes Warres ii. 104 The winter Sunne was at the lowest. 1594 T. Blundeville Exercises vii. xl. f. 337^v When those guards be iust Northeast from the Lodestar then the Lodestarre is againe in the Meridian at his lowest. 1610 J. Mason Turke i. i. sig. B2^v Did I not thinke my fortunes ebbe at lowest? 1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Triumph of Faith xix. 189 Christ in himself and intrinsecally was the glory, the flower, the Prince of men, even at his lowest. 1666 J. Wallis Let. 25 Apr. in R. Boyle Corr. (2001) III. 144 About the Full-moon and New-moon the Tides are at the Highest, at the Quadratures the Tides are at the Lowest. 1721 R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. I. i. 11 For many Years they continued either under Bond and Bail, or Confinement, as a Reward for their Concern and Sufferings for the King's Interest, when at its lowest. 1796 W. Marshall Rural Econ. W. Eng. II. 270 A paltry, ill shapen, wooden frame or floodgate..receives about half the waters of the Mew; now lower than usual, but not at their lowest. 1832 J. Bell Syst. Geogr. (new ed.) VI. 20 Its depth at the same place, is 65 fathoms..in the month of March, when the river is at the lowest. 1897 C. Headlam Sel. Brit. Satirists 64 When taste was almost at its lowest in England. 1918 H. T. Comstock Mam'selle Jo xxiii. 352 You're a sturdy sort; you've stuck it out with me at my lowest. 2005 Metro 21 Dec. (London ed.) 4/3 Suicide rates in England are at their lowest ever. b. at lowest: at worst, at least. Also at the lowest. ΚΠ 1640 J. Shirley Coronation v. sig. I2 Shall I thinke I have not at the lowest enough merit, Setting aside my birth, to poyze with yours. 1703 tr. S. von Pufendorf Of Law of Nature & Nations viii. iv. 195/1 Simple Esteem among such as live in a Commonwealth, is that by which a Man is look'd upon to be at lowest a common, but a sound Member of the State. 1762 London Chron. 18 Sept. 284/1 There had stood a disadvantage against all undertakers of corn-raising, of 20 per cent. at lowest, by reason of the high price of labour.., and the low price of corn. 1861 J. S. Mill Considerations Representative Govt. xviii. 336 Men who had been brought up to their duties, and had fulfilled them for many years, at lowest without disgrace. 1950 A. P. Rossiter Eng. Drama x. 146 At lowest it is case-hardened jesting about syphilis. 1986 R. Syme Augustan Aristocracy (1989) xiii. 181 At the lowest, he was counted safe and sagacious. 2002 J. T. Mugambwa & H. A. Amankwah Land Law & Policy in Papua New Guinea (ed. 2) iii. 146 The decision..was, at lowest, a decision by default. P2. the lowest of the low: (one of) the people regarded as the most socially inferior of all; the people who occupy the lowest rank within society, an organization, etc. Also: a person who or an action, situation, etc., which is extremely undesirable or immoral, or considered worst example of a particular type. [In quot. 1744 with allusion to Qur'an 95:5, which has Arabic thumma radadnāhu 'asfala sāfilīna ‘then we relegated him (i.e. man) to the lowest of the low’.] ΚΠ 1744 J. Miller Mahomet Impostor ii. i. 23 Have I not known thee, Mahomet, When void of Wealth, Inheritance, or Fame, Rank'd with the lowest of the Low at Mecca? 1847 Liverpool Mercury 27 Apr. Crime is engendered amongst the lowest of the low..among beggars, sand-sellers, coal-pickers or stealers. 1870 J. W. Harsha Song of Redeemed xii. 406 Her son [sc. Jesus]..who, on account of his humble parentage, was regarded as the lowest of the low. 1955 Billboard 13 Aug. 1/1 The announcer, once thought of as the lowest of the low in broadcasting, has risen to a position of eminence..in TV. 1978 Washington Post (Nexis) 8 Aug. c1 Juvenile court..is on the outer edge of the legal universe. This simply is not considered a prestigious job, but the lowest of the low. 1992 P. Scanlan Finishing Touches (1999) 282 At least I don't have to resort to stealing another woman's husband. That's the lowest of the low. 2000 Big Issue in Scotl. 24 Feb. 7/1 Child sex offenders are..the lowest of the low. Compounds C1. Uses of the adverb to form superlative adjectives (and derived nouns) corresponding to compounds of low adv., as lowest-paid, lowest-ranking, lowest-scoring, etc. ΚΠ 1655 E. Terry Voy. E.-India 111 Our English in those parts have a free Trade for no kind of Spice, but for that, which is one of the lowest prized, namely Pepper. 1762 D. Hume Hist. Eng. to Henry VII II. xxiii. 441 The period in which the people of Christendom were the lowest sunk in ignorance. 1834 Tait's Edinb. Mag. New Ser. 1 725/1 In 1799 the salary of our lowest-paid Judges was £1000. 1838 J. C. Loudon Arboretum II. lxix. 1177 The lowest-growing species are placed next the walk. 1928 Times 20 July 20/3 The highest-yielding clone has latex vessels of much smaller bore than the lowest-yielding clone. 1966 C. Siragusa & R. Wiedrich Trail of Poppy Gloss. 234 ‘Soldier’, the lowest-ranking Mafia member. 1974 Guardian 24 Jan. 4/3 His scheme would help the lowest paid. 1997 Chicago Tribune 14 Dec. iii. 9/1 Utah survived Dallas' slow-down offense in the lowest-scoring NBA game this season. C2. Uses of the adjective to form superlative adjectives corresponding to compounds of low adj. a. Parasynthetic (cf. low adj. and n.² Compounds 2a), as lowest-priced, lowest-ranked, etc. ΚΠ a1640 Earl of Stirling Anacrisis in J. E. Spingairn Crit. Ess. 17th Cent. (1908) I. 184 In a more abject Manner than the lowest minded Man could have descended to conceive. 1733 P. Lindsay Interest Scotl. 106 At Gallowshiels are made a few coarse Kerseys,..and was their Wooll better scribled,..they might serve in place of the lowest-pric'd York-shires. 1798 Monthly Rev. Apr. 395 Suppose that the lowest sized cottage, for the poorest labourer..will cost 100l. 1806 C. Wilkinson Tour through Asia Minor xxi. 223 They choose for their bed-chambers the smallest and lowest roofed rooms on the ground floor. 1878 St. Joseph (Mich.) Traveler Herald 25 May (advt.) Children's Suits, from the lowest priced Calico Romp Suits to the most costly Graduation and Party dresses. 1921 F. F. Ellsworth Band-wagon xxxiii. 357 Boise had raked her trunk and brought out her smartest and lowest-necked organdie, her shamelessly short skirt. 1990 M. Winegardner Prophet of Sandlots xv. 265 The team had the lowest-rated farm system in baseball. 1995 Car & Driver Buyers Guide 30 June 186/1 GM's lowest-priced droptop since the demise of the Geo Metro convertible. 2003 Holiday Which? Spring 80/2 [It] is the lowest-ranked no-frills airline overall and does poorly on most aspects of its service. b. In noun phrases used attributively (cf. low adj. and n.² Compounds 1), as lowest-cost, lowest-quality, etc. ΚΠ 1839 Railway Times 24 Aug. 653/1 I believe the lowest class fares on the Antwerp Railway are below 1d. per mile. 1891 Amer. Machinist 5 Mar. 8/2 Other things being equal, the highest priced labor produces the lowest cost goods. 1967 Physical Rev. 157 832 The lowest-energy excited state at a given angular momentum. 1989 A. Lorenz Fighting Chance iv. 109 Is it keeping our industry the most efficient in the world, the lowest-cost producer? 1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 440 If I am being very severe, I eat this with just a raita made with the lowest-fat fromage frais. 2009 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Apr. 173/3 Various people who sold them the lowest-quality assets. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.adv.c1175
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