paramountadj.n.adv.
/ˈparəmaʊnt/, U.S. /ˈpɛrəˌmaʊnt/ A. adj.† 2. Predicatively, with to. Of a right, law, etc.: that is superior in precedence (to another). Obsolete.
1.
a. Of a person, people, nation, etc.: highest in rank, power, or jurisdiction; supreme. Also: pre-eminent, leading, or most notable. Frequently as postmodifier.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being the best > [adjective]
highestOE
bestOE
firstlOE
greatest?c1225
of the besta1350
premiera1500
paramount1530
supremec1550
supreme1571
primer1589
top1647
nulli secundus1742
bestest1751
first class1819
beatemest1831
par excellence1839
première1844
first rate1853
beatenest1860
blue ribbon1860
optimum1885
optimal1890
class A1906
all-star1908
grade A1911
five-star1931
mostest1936
tip-topmost1937
the end1950
the most1953
1530 St. German's Secunde Dyaloge Doctour & Student xxxvi. f. lxxxxiii They saye that the kynge ys patrone peramounte of all the benyfyces within the realme.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 406 He..proceedeth with the gouernours of Persia, whether Paramont or deputed.
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iii. xix. 140 The Pope that Antichrist Paramount.
1685 tr. B. Gracián y Morales Courtiers Oracle 35 These Paramount Genies are Kings by merit.
1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 146 This our recognition of a signiory paramount . View more context for this quotation
1807 S. Turner Hist. Anglo-Saxons (ed. 2) I. ii. ii. 103 There appears..to have been a paramount sovereign; a Pen-dragon, or Penteyrn.
1816 S. T. Coleridge Statesman's Man. App. E p. xxxvi Sir Philip Sydney! He the paramount gentleman of Europe.
1895 Times 16 Nov. 5/4 The King of Kokofu..is one of the three chiefs who..perform the ceremony of ‘enstooling’ the King of Kumassi as King paramount.
1940 C. R. Thompson Transl. of Lucian i. 1 Erasmus..was the paramount Lucianist of the Renaissance.
1994 Daily Tel. 22 Aug. 11/1 Deng Xiao-ping celebrates his 90th birthday today, still China's paramount leader despite age and infirmities.
b. lord paramount n. an overlord; (Feudal Law) a lord who grants fees to others without in turn holding a fee from anyone else (now historical). Now frequently in extended use: a person who exercises supreme power or jurisdiction.
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society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > lord > [noun] > feudal lord > feudal overlord
palatine1560
lord paramount1579
paramount1616
suzerain1807
1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin i. 7 Quarrels..betwene the vassall and the Lord Peramount.
1592 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) viii. xliii. 187 Which Scots..Who to our Kings, Lords Parramounts, not warres but vprores bring.
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. 65 The King is soueraigne Lord, or Lord paramont, either mediate or immediate of all and euery parcell of Land within the Realme.
1642 tr. J. Perkins Profitable Bk. v. §430. 185 If in the same case the Lord paramount [Fr. seignur paramont] release unto the heire all his right in the tenancy, by this release the Menaltie is determined.
1643 D. Digges Unlawfulnesse Subj. iv. 116 He..made all..feudaries to him, so that he remained..Lord Paramont, or overlord in the whole Land.
1727 A. Hamilton New Acct. E. Indies I. xxiii. 275 Built, of old, by the Portugueze, when they were Lords Paramount of all the Sea-coasts of India.
1782 W. Cowper Hope in Poems 156 Lord paramount of the surrounding plains.
1837 T. De Quincey Revolt of Tartars in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 90/1 The circumstances of their hard and trying position under the jealous surveillance of an irresistible lord paramount, in the person of the Russian Czar.
1872 W. H. Dixon W. Penn (rev. ed.) xxiii. 202 Penn was now become the lord paramount of territories almost as large as England.
1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage lxxxiii. 435 What do the circumstances of life matter if your dreams make you lord paramount of time and space?
1987 N. Tranter Flowers of Chivalry (BNC) 89 Now that he was crowned King of Scots, he was to pay homage for his kingdom to the English monarch as Lord Paramount.
c. lady paramount n. a woman in supreme authority; (now chiefly Archery) a woman appointed to present the prizes at the end of a tournament, and (in some cases) to act as supreme arbiter in any disputes which arise. Cf. lord paramount n. at sense A. 1b.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > archery > [noun] > archer > highest-scoring lady
lady paramount1647
1647 R. Fanshawe tr. B. Guarini Pastor Fido iii. ix. 122 Man..To thee as Lady Paramount payes duty.
1685 W. Clark Grand Tryal V. xxxix. 348 In that strong cittadel, She like a Lady paramount, doth dwell.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison II. xix. 203 She was obliged to quit the house, where..she had reigned so long Lady Paramount.
1845 N. P. Willis Dashes at Life with Free Pencil viii. 20 In the county therefore there was a lord paramount of Freer Hall, and in town, a lady paramount of Brook-street.
1865 D. Livingstone & C. Livingstone Narr. Exped. Zambesi v. 108 Part of the Upper Shire Valley has a lady paramount, named Nyango.
1882 Standard 31 Aug. 6/4 The Lady Paramount's prize for most blues.
1939 P. Gordon New Archery II. v. 40 The chief official is the Field Captain, who is usually assisted by the Lady Paramount of the women's field.
1996 Brit. Archer May–June 1035/2 A record status shoot, hosted by the Meriden Archery club... Lady Paramount: Mrs Maureen Pountney.
d. paramount chief n. an African chief of the highest order, whose authority extends over an entire district (also as a title). Also occasionally in extended use: a chief or leader of similar power or rank elsewhere in the world.
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society > authority > rule or government > rule or government of family or tribe > head of family, tribe, or clan > [noun] > African paramount chief
paramount chief1844
Omanhene1905
1844 in F. Brownlee Transkeian Native Territories: Hist. Rec. (1923) 92 Treaty of Amity entered into..on behalf of Her Britannic Majesty, of the one part, and Faku, Paramount Chief of the Amapondo Nation.
1885 in F. Brownlee Transkeian Native Territories: Hist. Rec. (1923) 20 Some of these clans..depended directly upon the paramount chief, others were grouped under a sub-chief.
1928 G. P. Lestrade in A. M. Duggan-Cronin Bantu Tribes S. Afr. I. i. 18 The petty chiefs, each of whom is responsible to the paramount chief for the maintenance of good order in his section of the tribe, share in..privileges at the chief's pleasure.
1976 Times 26 Oct. 8/4 Dr. Nicolaas Diederichs, the President of South Africa, handed over a copy of the Transkei Act to the country's first Prime Minister, Paramount Chief Kaiser Matanzima.
1990 Keesings Contemp. Arch. (BNC) Nov. The paramount chief or Vunivalu of Fiji, Ratu Sir George Cakobau, died on Nov. 25, 1989, at the age of 77 after a long illness.
1999 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 28 July (Midweek section) 1/1 Beatrice Ntutu, daughter of a Maasai paramount chief, has a warm heart bigger than her size.
ΚΠ
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 299 Leagues, within the State, are euer Pernicious to Monarchies; For they raise an Obligation Paramount to Obligation of Soueraigntie.
1690 J. Locke Two Treat. Govt. I. xi. 261 A Right Antecedent and Paramount to all Government.
1769 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) I. xi. 73 Their first duty..is paramount to all subsequent engagements.
1788 J. Madison Federalist Papers xlii. 55 Thus the law of one state, be preposterously rendered paramount to the law of another.
1807 T. Jefferson Let. 20 June in Writings (1984) 1179 Is the law paramount to this, which calls on him on behalf of a single one?
1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. vi. 77 They regarded the title by hereditary succession as paramount to any legislative enactment.
1896 Emporia (Kansas) Gaz. 15 Aug. 2/1 We have another shabby, wild-eyed, rattle-brained fanatic who has said openly in a dozen speeches that ‘the rights of the user are paramount to the rights of the owner’.
3. Superlative, best; superior to or taking precedence over all others; of supreme or overriding importance; imperative. Chiefly predicative.
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the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being better or superior > [adjective]
bettereOE
selerOE
betc1175
greaterc1325
unmeeta1393
masculinec1425
above one's matchc1500
superior?c1550
uppera1586
precedent1598
supereminent1599
empyreal1641
prerogative1646
paramount1654
subalternating1671
racy1675
ranking1847
plus1860
1654 W. Spurstowe Magistrates Dignity 35 In one word, you are Gods, which is a title paramount, a name that excels every other name.
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Wilts. 144 The Cathedrall of Salisbury..is paramount in this kind.
1690 T. Burnet Theory of Earth iv. 141 He can, by a power paramount, stop the rage either of Satan or Antichrist.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 234 He was, at that instant, actually on his road to London, in not a very paramount plight, or condition, having been wreck'd on the Irish coast.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 583 Man's..rights and claims Are paramount.
1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece VI. ii. liv. 619 The paramount feeling..tended to peace.
1881 A. Trollope Ayala's Angel II. xxxix. 216 This is a matter in which a young lady's word must be paramount.
1931 Ann. Amer. Acad. Polit. & Social Sci. 157 35/1 For the maximum security group, defense requirements are of paramount importance.
1991 Today 13 June 6/1 One thing is paramount and that is safety, not state-of-the-art computer systems.
B. n.
Formerly: †an overlord, supreme ruler; spec. = lord paramount n. at sense A. 1b (obsolete). Now (chiefly South African): = paramount chief n. at sense A. 1d.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > lord > [noun] > feudal lord > feudal overlord
palatine1560
lord paramount1579
paramount1616
suzerain1807
1616 J. Bullokar Eng. Expositor sig. L7v Paramounte. The chiefe Lord of the fee.
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xii. 18 Blessd Mayd which..raignst as Paramount, And chief of Cherubins.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 508 Midst came thir mighty Paramount . View more context for this quotation
1779 T. Forrest Voy. New Guinea 327 Those paramounts claim the property of the banks, as wel as of the dry land.
1839 Fraser's Mag. 20 41 The parded paramount of Rome hath rung The knell of onslaught.
1978 T. R. H. Davenport S. Afr.: Mod. Hist. (ed. 2) 101 Whether the slaughter was a spontaneous act of misguided faith or a calculated political move by Sarhili, the Gcaleka paramount..may never be known.
1979 M. Matshoba Call me not Man 175 The paramount has followed his father's road and has done much to keep the clans together.
In a superior position to, having precedence over, greater than. Obsolete (rare after 17th cent.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > surpassing excellence > [adjective]
sunderlyOE
noblec1330
precellentc1384
passantc1385
especialc1386
passinga1387
surmountingc1407
superlative?a1430
precelling?1435
pre-eminenta1460
outrepassed1477
divine1488
pre-excellenta1500
superexcellent1508
transcending1528
pre-ordinate1543
exceeding1552
superexcelling1554
exquisite1578
surpassingc1580
summary1587
paragon1593
transcendent1598
overmatchful1609
termless1609
overtoppinga1615
paramounta1626
overtowering1639
surpassant1654
transcendental1701
superior1711
towery1731
prize1739
supernala1817
tiptopsome1819
tip-topping1826
par excellence1839
superfine1850
towering1894
a1626 F. Bacon Elements Common Lawes (1630) 4 In any degree paramount the first the law respecteth not.
1636 W. Prynne Unbishoping of Timothy & Titus 62 Having no Superintendent paramount them.
1643 W. Prynne Treachery & Disloyalty of Papists 4 A Generall Councell is paramount the Pope.
1882 A. Brown Scriven's Treat. Law Copyholds (ed. 6) 25 Not..good as against a dowress, whose dower is paramount the debts.
Derivatives
ˈparamountly adv. pre-eminently; above all; imperatively.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adverb] > most importantly
foremostOE
primarily1587
in (also for, on, upon) the maina1591
mainly1640
perpendicularly1658
capitally1679
paramountly1798
leadingly1801
importantly1841
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > pre-eminence > [adverb]
highlyOE
overalla1225
with the firstc1300
principally1340
principalc1390
in principala1393
chiefly14..
ratherestc1400
rathestc1400
primarily1587
kat' exochen1588
paravant1590
pre-eminently1590
primely1610
cardinally1631
transeminently1642
paramountly1798
par eminence1823
1798 G. Washington Let. 30 Sept. in Papers (1999) Retirement Ser. III. 58 The interest of the whole should be paramountly consulted.
1822 Examiner 24 Mar. 185/2 Such active instinctiveness of character, as paramountly lives in the canvass of E. Landseer.
1912 New Phytologist 11 301 Against all this there is, however, an objection which is regarded by most systematists as paramountly serious.
1995 Evolution 49 797/1 Internal or historical constraints..are considered paramountly important by many paleontologists.
ˈparamountship n. supremacy or overlordship; the office of paramount ruler.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > [noun] > supreme authority
sovereigntyc1374
thronea1382
chiefnessc1420
superiority1449
suzeraintyc1470
sovereignness1532
supremity1536
supremacy1547
monarchy1585
autocracy1659
paramountcy1667
sovranty1667
paramountship1735
sovereignship1817
eminent domain1850
overmastery1901
1735 J. Kirby Suffolk Traveller (1764) 154 He is only the mean Lord, Sir Thomas Allen hath a Paramountship over him.
1898 Daily News 23 Aug. 5/1 Four young native [Basuto] chiefs, including the heir to the paramountship.
1992 Current Anthropol. 33 173/1 The development of true class stratification in both Tonga and Hawaii, as well as similar structures of dual paramountship in these two societies, cannot be explained by either inheritance or contact.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† paramountv.
Obsolete. rare.
intransitive. To become paramount; to rise to the highest position.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advance, progress, or develop [verb (intransitive)] > rise in prosperity, power, or rank > rise to the highest place
paramount1699
1699 J. Potter Archæologiæ Græcæ II. iv. xi. 296 And dost thou think, thou dirty, servile Woman, To paramount, to cast me out?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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adj.n.adv.1530
v.1699