utmostadj.n.
/ˈʌtməʊst/, /ˈʌtməst/, U.S. /ˈətˌmoʊst/ A. adj.
1. † b. Of garments: outermost; exterior. Obsolete.
a. Situated farthest from the centre; occupying, lying at, or dwelling in the extreme bound or bounds; most external or remote in position or location; outermost, uttermost; outmost adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > [adjective] > outermost
utmostc950
outmosta1382
outerestc1392
uttermost1398
extremal1447
utteresta1492
extreme1503
uppermost1548
outermost1587
outwardmost1598
extimate1659
α.
figurative.1694 R. South 12 Serm. II. 30 Which surely must reach the utmost Thoughts of any Atheist whatsoever.β. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 11433 Þe castel hii asailede,..& brake þe otemoste wal.a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 303 In þe vttermeste (MS. αotmeste) ende of all þe erþe.a1390 Wycliffite Bible Num. xxii 36 (Bodl. 959) [A] toun..sette in ye otemost coostys of Arnon.1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xv. clv Þe ottemoste norþe..of Germania.c1450 Middle Eng. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 93 Pile þe barke þe ottemoste [v.r. ottemoste rynde] awey.c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxii. 13 Sendas hine in ðiostrum ðæm utmestum.
c1100 Ælfreds Boeth. (Bodl.) xix Þeah hit nu gebyrige þæt ða utemestan ðioda eowerne naman up ahebban.
c1320 Sir Orfeo (Auch.) 357 Al þe vtmast wal Was..schine as cristal.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. iii. i. 8 Ane of his tais with The vtmast endis be þe lith Quyt wes smyttyn of þaim.
c1450 Godstow Reg. 106 His ende vttemost toward the tenement of the forsaid Vincente Menge.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. viii. f. x The children of the kingdom shalbe cast out in to the vtmoost dercknes.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 5487 Beyten is out in the orient the vtmast syde.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. X5v Corineus had that Prouince vtmost west, To him assigned.
1618 W. Lawson New Orchard & Garden xiii. 48 We admit without the fence of walnuts in most plain places, trees middle-most & Ashes or Oakes, or Elmes vtmost.
1660 tr. I. Barrow Euclide's Elements i. 19 The utmost points of one side..of a triangle.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis ix, in tr. Virgil Wks. 470 Where the Foes their utmost Guards advance.
1729 T. Innes Crit. Ess. Anc. Inhabitants Scotl. I. 82 The utmost extremities of the north of Britain.
1798 S. Lee Young Lady's Tale in H. Lee Canterbury Tales II. 326 The utmost limit of creation!
1820 P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound iv. i. 141 It..doth pass, Into the utmost leaves and delicatest flowers.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Elaine in Idylls of King 174 Knights of utmost North and West.
1877 J. Ruskin St. Mark's Rest (1894) iv. 50 The entire tablet varied to its utmost edge.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > outerwear > [adjective]
umestc1400
uttermostc1471
upper1526
upperest1548
uppermost1548
utmost?1553
upmost1592
?1553 Respublica (1952) v. ix. 61 Doe of your vtmoste robes eche one.
1608 T. Hudson tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Ivdith iv. 57 in J. Sylvester Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) Her vtmost robe was coulour blew Cœlest.
c. Furthest extended; greatest in extent, length, measure, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > longitudinal extent > [adjective] > increasing in length > increased in length > furthest
utmost1713
1713 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics 16 To put forth Your Hand to the utmost Stretch, and reach whatever You aspire at.
1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. xvi. 108 Death is..That utmost Course, where human Sorrow ends.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Odyssey in Iliad & Odyssey II. xi. 454 A night of utmost length.
1844 A. W. Kinglake Eothen xvii. 272 All the whole earth that I could reach with my utmost sight, and keenest listening was still.
2. That is of the greatest or highest degree; of the largest amount, number, etc.; extreme.Somewhat rare before 1590; in frequent use since 1710.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > greatest in quantity, amount, or degree
mosteOE
utmosta1325
uttermore1382
utterestc1386
uttermost1429
outmost1447
utter1513
supreme1571
summoperous1647
top1714
mostest1882
a1325 Prose Psalter lvii. 6 God shal defoulen her teþe..; our Lord shal breke þe uttemast [Dublin MS. ottermast] iuels of þe wicked.
c1480 (a1400) St. Matthias 113 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 225 Scho let hym wyt þe vtmast thinge, þat he wes but a fundlynge.
1482 Monk of Evesham xxli. 53 He was takyn..to the vtmest peynys and ponissement of dethe.
1590 C. Marlowe Tamburlaine: 1st Pt. sig. B5v With amitie we yeeld Our vtmost seruice to the faire Cosroe.
1610 R. Davies Chesters Triumph sig. B4 What e're our more then strained vtmost-All, Can possibly performe; performe we shall.
1628 T. May tr. Virgil Georgicks iii. 84 Her temptations make Two stubborne Bulls..with their Hornes to try their utmost deedes.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 103 His utmost power with adverse power oppos'd In dubious Battel. View more context for this quotation
1704 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) V. 578 This day was celebrated the Thanksgiving..with the uttmost pomp & splendor.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. v. iv. 55 Her mind was now in a state of the utmost confusion.
1805 W. Wordsworth Waggoner ii. 73 The utmost anger of the sky.
1833 H. Martineau Brooke & Brooke Farm (ed. 3) iii. 35 The utmost profit of a cow.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda I. i. vii. 115 His antigropelos, the utmost approach he possessed to a hunting equipment.
3. Latest in order or time; last, final. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > later > last, latest, or most advanced
aftermostOE
utterestc1400
uttermostc1440
utmosta1500
lattermore1534
furthest1559
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxv. 330 Mary, me mymnys or mynmys [read mynnys], thi moder hight, The vtmast ende of all thy kyn.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. v. f. vj Till thou have payed the vtmost [1611 vttermost] farthinge.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. i. sig. N6 In these sad wordes she spent her vtmost breath.
1591 E. Spenser Ruines of Time in Complaints 45 From their first vntill their vtmost date.
1642 J. Milton Apol. Smectymnuus 41 Many wise men have miscarried in praising great designe before the utmost event.
1671 A. Marvell Let. 31 Jan. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 129 Censure..against those who after an utmost day set shall persist to absent themselves.
1672 J. Dryden Conquest Granada i. ii. i. 14 Till I have found the last and utmost foe.
1691 J. Swift Ode to Athenian Society xi, in Suppl. Fifth Vol. Athenian Gaz. 6 When the sad melancholy Muse Stays but to catch his utmost breath.
1772 J. Priestley Inst. Relig. I. 89 They prolong life to the utmost term of nature.
1812 M. Edgeworth Absentee iv, in Tales Fashionable Life V. 323 He would use it [sc. the power] to obtain the utmost penny of his debt.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I lxxx. 43 I..hear these freedoms form the utmost list Of all o'er which such love may be a ranger.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. xv. 171 Grating it down nicely,..and adding the utmost oil as a lubricant.
B. n.In Lindisf. Gosp. Mark 5:23 in utmestum is used to render the Latin in extremis (= at the point of death).(b)1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. I1 That same man..keepes it [sc. his word] to the vtmost of his power. View more context for this quotation1659 in E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1920) IV. 147 I shall to the vttmost of my power constantly endeauour to doe him right.1729 W. Law Serious Call vi. 90 So sure is it, that we are to do them to the utmost of our power.1802 E. Parsons Myst. Visit II. 245 The good woman.. fortunately succeeded to the utmost of her wish.1875 H. E. Manning Internal Mission of Holy Ghost xii. 346 Let us to the utmost of our power, submit our will to the will of God.
1. † b. In plural. The remotest parts of the earth, etc. rare.
a. That which is most outward, distant, or remote; the farthest part, district, limit, etc., of an extent or area. Now only archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [noun] > distant parts > the remotest part or place
utmostc825
world-endOE
world's endc1275
utteresta1300
utmostsa1382
uttermost1382
uttermosta1390
arsea1600
apogee1670
jumping-off place1826
Timbuctoo1863
arse-end1896
ass-end1960
c825 Vesp. Psalter cxxxviii. 9 In ðem utmestan sæs.
a950 in J. Stevenson Rituale Ecclesiæ Dunelmensis (1840) 55 Oð to vtmeste earðes.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Job xxxvi. 30 The vtmost of the se he shal couere.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds i. 8 Ȝe schulen be witnessis to me..to the vtmeste [c1425 Egerton 617 & 618 vtermest] of erthe.
1614 W. B. tr. Philosophers Banquet (ed. 2) i. xix. 43 The vtmost of the taile is poyson.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 177 A City..on the utmost of the ridge of a hill.
1887 W. Morris tr. Homer Odyssey II. xi. 190 At last unto the utmost of deep Ocean-stream we came.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [noun] > distant parts > the remotest part or place
utmostc825
world-endOE
world's endc1275
utteresta1300
utmostsa1382
uttermost1382
uttermosta1390
arsea1600
apogee1670
jumping-off place1826
Timbuctoo1863
arse-end1896
ass-end1960
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vii. 18 The fleȝe, that is in the vtmostes [v.r. vttermostis] of the flodus of Egipt.
1382 J. Wyclif Psalms cxxxiv. 7 Bringende out cloudis fro the vtmostis [v.r. vttermostis] of the erthe.
2.
a. That which is greatest or of the highest degree; the most or greatest possible or attainable in respect of force, skill, etc.; the utmost point, extreme limit or degree, of something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [noun] > quality or fact of being extreme > highest, utmost, or extreme degree
heightOE
perfectiona1398
utterestc1410
uttermosta1425
tiptoec1440
pinnaclec1450
utmost1472
outmostc1535
extremity1543
abyss1548
top1552
furthest, utmost stretch1558
summa summarum1567
superlative1573
strain1576
extreme1595
fine1596
last1602
yondmost1608
super-superlative1623
pitch1624
utmostness1674
pink1720
supreme1817
ultima Thule1828
peak1902
1472 Cov. Leet Bk. 377 Thei..seid thei wold abyde with the Maire..to the vtmost of herr goodes in that mater.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xxiv. 22 When Lisias..is come, I will know the vtmost of youre matters.
1594 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 sig. C4 To morrow we will ride to London, And trie the vtmost of these Treasons forth.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. i. sig. Z8v Thinking the vtmost of their force to trie. View more context for this quotation
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. 346 The Painter..shew'd therein the vtmost of his skill.
1667 Earl of Orrery Coll. State Lett. (1742) 331 The utmost I aimed at..was to tell your grace what others told me.
1752 D. Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 95 The utmost we have to boast of are a few essays.
1764 T. Reid Inq. Human Mind i. 75 The utmost which the human faculties can attain.
1805 J. Spaulding Universalism 129 That the damned suffer the utmost of their desert.
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece V. 153 Thebes had accomplished the utmost she could now reasonably aim at.
1864 A. Bain Senses & Intellect (ed. 2) Introd. ii. 63 The utmost that can be said in the present state of our knowledge.
b. With possessive adjectives: the highest, greatest, or best of one's ability, power, etc.; the very most. Frequently with do.
ΚΠ
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads ii. 119 Come then,..and fly to our loved home; for now, nor ever, shall Our utmost take in broad~wayed Troy.
1646 J. Gaule Select Cases Conscience 118 Their utmost is but to produce a..false species of things.
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iv. xix. 358 A Man having..done his utmost to inform himself in all Particulars..may [etc.].
1708 J. Addison Present State War 26 Let us perform our utmost,..and we shall overwhelm 'em.
1715 R. South 12 Serm. IV. 23 Nor will it suffice..to rally up all one's little Utmost into one Discourse.
1785 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 126 [One who] to his utmost would befriend Ought that belang'd ye.
1818 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 33 633 Will you do your utmost to obtain justice?
1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain i. xviii His work, after he goes to Oxford, will be doing his very utmost—and you know what an utmost that is.
1887 P. McNeill Blawearie 136 It taxed to its utmost the ingenuity of the rival wooers.
c. An extreme amount, degree, or limit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [noun] > quality or fact of being extreme > something exceedingly great in degree
the utter1584
swinger1599
a devil of a ——1604
thumper1660
whisker1668
a (also the, one) hell of a ——c1680
swapperc1700
spanker1751
whopper1785
whacker1825
whanger1825
utmost1856
howler1872
hell1931
1856 [see sense A. 3].
1863 J. Ingelow Poems 24 Forever yawns before our eyes An utmost—that is veiled.
3. The end, finish, or issue of something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > [noun] > outcome or that which results
issuea1325
outcominga1382
conclusionc1384
endc1385
fruita1400
finec1405
termination?a1425
sumc1430
succession1514
sequel1524
game1530
success1537
event1539
pass1542
increase1560
outgate1568
exit1570
cropc1575
utmosta1586
upshoot1598
sequence1600
upshot1604
resultance1616
upshut1620
succedenta1633
apotelesm1636
come-off1640
conclude1643
prosult1647
offcome1666
resultant1692
outlet1710
period1713
outcome1788
outrun1801
outcome1808
upset1821
overcome1822
upping1828
summary1831
outgo1870
upcomec1874
out-turn1881
end-product1923
pay-off1926
wash-up1961
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) iii. f. 172 Zelmane..had now looked to the uttermoste [1674 utmost] of it, and established her minde vpon an assured determination.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. i. 36 See that Claudio Be executed;..let him be prepar'd, For that's the vtmost of his pilgrimage. View more context for this quotation
1666 R. Boyle Origine Formes & Qualities 264 An Accident robb'd me of my Glasse, before I could see the utmost of the Event.
4. to the utmost, to the extreme or uttermost degree, extent, capacity, or limit. Also const. of (one's power, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [phrase] > thoroughly or to the utmost > of one's power
to the utterestc1400
at (the) utterestc1420
to the utmostc1450
at (the) utterance1513
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > greatly or very much [phrase] > in or to the greatest degree
never solOE
with (also mid) the mostc1275
for the masteryc1325
to the bestc1390
to the uttermostc1400
at the hardest1429
to the utmostc1450
to the skies (also sky)1559
at float1594
all to nothing1606
to the height1609
to the proofa1625
to the last degree1639
to the welkin?1746
(the) worst kind1839
for all it's worth1864
as —— as they make them?a1880
in the highest1897
to the nth (degree, power)1897
up to eleven1987
c1450 Mirk's Festial i. 91 Gracyously he woll þat a man be demed wyth mercy and not to þe vtmast here.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Thess. ii. 16 For the wrath off God is come on them, even to the vtmost.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. iii. 180 Some of ye..Would trye him to the vtmost, had ye meane. View more context for this quotation
1686 R. Boyle Free Enq. Notion Nature vii. 266 I grew weary before I had prosecuted it to the utmost.
1738 J. Wesley Coll. Psalms & Hymns (new ed.) v. vi Thy wrath on the rebellious Race Shall to the utmost come.
1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters iii. 307 Let us pursue our enquiries to the utmost.
1834 H. Martineau Demerara (new ed.) iv. 46 He was sure to..torment the animal to the utmost.
1860 J. L. Motley Hist. United Netherlands I. ii. 59 He would keep his pledge to the utmost.
1873 F. Hall in Scribner's Monthly 6 465 The sages..have certainly consulted his comfort to the utmost.
5. at the utmost (†at utmost), at the very most in respect of time, quantity, etc. Cf. most adj. 6.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > a great quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > at (very) most
at (the) mostc1300
at the largea1398
at uttermost1530
at the utmost (at utmost)1619
at the outside1852
1619 in W. Foster Eng. Factories India 1618–21 (1906) 143 15 dayes stay there, or 20 at uttmost.
1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xi. 7) 96 [He] beautified it, or, at utmost, inlarged it.
1722 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth (ed. 3) iii. iii. 247 The Modern Age of Men at the utmost is not 80.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. App. at Vultur The head..has, at the utmost, only a downy matter on it.
1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 418 At the utmost it was in the discretion of the Court.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [noun] > quality or fact of being extreme > highest, utmost, or extreme degree
heightOE
perfectiona1398
utterestc1410
uttermosta1425
tiptoec1440
pinnaclec1450
utmost1472
outmostc1535
extremity1543
abyss1548
top1552
furthest, utmost stretch1558
summa summarum1567
superlative1573
strain1576
extreme1595
fine1596
last1602
yondmost1608
super-superlative1623
pitch1624
utmostness1674
pink1720
supreme1817
ultima Thule1828
peak1902
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 7 With all that earnestness of threatning, that may beget in man the utmostness of dread.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1926; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.n.c825