outermost

US/ˈaʊtɚmoʊst/

adjectiveB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,222 of 15,258leans written

Outermost means furthest from the centre. The outermost ring, the outermost islands, its outermost edge.

It is a superlative with no ordinary positive behind it, like innermost and uppermost — there is no out to compare from. The -most ending here is not the word most: it comes from an old superlative ending that was reshaped to look like it.

Definitions of outermost

1adjectiveoutermostFurthest from the centre.B2+
“Pluto was once thought to be the outermost planet of our solar system.”

outermost is a position.

Where it comes from

Old English utemest is a double superlative. The -most ending was reshaped later to look like the word most.

Old English
ūtemest
Middle English
uttermost
English, today
outermost

Built from

ȳtemest · Old English — outermost

From Middle English uttermost, uttirmest, uttermast, outemast, alteration (due to Middle English outre (“outer”)) of Old English ūtemest, ȳtemest (“outermost”), equivalent to outer + most. a doublet of uttermost.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Directions & Position

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outermost in the wild

In astronomy, a corona (pl.: coronas or coronae) is the outermost layer of a star's atmosphere.
Stellar corona
In geology, the crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite.
Crust (geology)
Bark is the outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants.
Bark (botany)
In anatomy and zoology, the cortex (pl.: cortices) is the outermost, otherwise known as superficial, layer of an organ.
Cortex (anatomy)
The episclera is the outermost layer of the sclera (the white of the eye).
Episcleral layer

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

outer

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