Utmost
/ˈʌt.moʊst/noun
The greatest or highest degree, amount, or extent possible.
Did you know?Utmost is an ancient English superlative built from the same “out” idea that survives in words such as “utter,” which originally meant outer or external.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ud
“Upward or outward; away from an interior place”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ūt
“Out; outside”
Old English
Old English
ūt
“Out; outside”
Old English
Old English
ūtemest
“Outermost; farthest out”
Middle English
Middle English
utemest
“Farthest out or greatest in degree”
Modern English
English
utmost
“Greatest or highest possible”