paramount

See also: Paramount

English

WOTD – 11 June 2021

Etymology

PIE word
*h₂éd

From Anglo-Norman paramont / paramount (“paramount, pre-eminent; above”), from Old French par / per (“by”) + amont / amunt (“upward”).[1] Par is derived from Latin per (“by means of, through”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; to carry forth, fare”);[2] amont and amunt are from Latin ad montem (“to the mountain; upward”), from ad (“up to”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“at; to”)) + montem (the accusative singular of mōns (“mount, mountain”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stand out, tower”)).[3]

Pronunciation

Adjective

paramount (not comparable)

  1. (often postpositive) Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent.
    Synonym: utmost
    Antonyms: paravail, (of a feudal tenant) [Term?]
  2. Of the highest importance.
    Synonyms: crucial, imperative; see also Thesaurus:important
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:insignificant
    Getting those credit cards paid off is paramount.
  3. (obsolete) Of a law, right, etc.: having precedence over or superior to another.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:superior

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

paramount (plural paramounts)

  1. A chief or superior; (specifically, chiefly South Africa) an African chief having the highest status in a region; a paramount chief.
  2. (obsolete) A supreme ruler; an overlord; (specifically, historical) in the feudal system, a landowner who did not derive ownership of the land from anyone else, and who was able to grant fees to others; a lord paramount.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “paramount, adj., n., and adv.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2020; “paramount1, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ Compare “per, prep.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2020; “per, prep.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  3. ^ Compare “amount, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2020; “amount, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Anagrams

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