furthermost
- 1Superlative of far.
The furthermost island in the chain takes two days to reach by boat.
Astronomers cataloged the furthermost galaxies visible with the new telescope.
Note
The distance sense is the one that draws objections: some editors and teachers treat it as an error and expect farthest instead. The complaint is occasional rather than universal, and the stacked shape behind it is explained under the "most progressed" meaning. In writing that a careful editor may judge, farthest is the safer superlative of far, and furthermost reads as a deliberate choice.
- 2Superlative of further.
Scouts mapped the furthermost edges of the territory.
From the furthermost seat in the hall, she could barely hear the speaker.
Note
A doubly marked superlative: -most is added to further, a word that already means "more." Middle English had it as forthirmaste and forþermaste, so the shape is centuries old. In this sense the word measures progress rather than distance, as in the proposal furthermost toward completion or the team furthermost ahead. When the point is plain distance, the "farthest" meaning takes over.
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Origin
From Middle English forthirmaste (also forþermaste, furthermost), equivalent to "further" combined with the suffix "-most".