different between foremost vs distinctive
foremost
English
Etymology
From Old English formest, fyrmest (“earliest, first, most prominent”), from Proto-Germanic *frumistaz, from the locative stem *fur-, *fr- + the superlative suffix *-umistaz, stem ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pr-. The suffix *-umistaz was a compound suffix, created from the rarer comparative suffix *-umô (as in Old English fruma) + the regular superlative suffix *-istaz (English -est); *-umô in turn is from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-.
Cognate with Old Frisian formest, Gothic ???????????????????????????????? (frumists). See for, first and Old English fruma for more. Partially cognate to primus, from Proto-Indo-European *pr- + Latin superlative suffix -imus, from Proto-Indo-European *-mHo-.
A comparative former was back-formed analogically, leaving the m from *-umô in place. Later the Old English suffix complex -(u)m-est was conflated with the word most through folk etymology, so that the word is now interpreted as fore +? -most.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?f??.m??st/
- Rhymes: -??st
Adjective
foremost (not comparable)
- first, either in time or in space
- Most forward; front
- of a higher rank or position; paramount
- (nautical) closest to the bow
Translations
Adverb
foremost (not comparable)
- in front
- prominently forward
- especially; particularly
- 2001, Chantel Laran Sawyer Lumpkin, The Influences of Assets on the Academic Achievement of African American College Students, p. 155:
- As dependent minors the foremost proximal system was family, followed by school and community.
- 2013, Robert Woods, Evangelical Christians and Popular Culture: Pop Goes the Gospel, p. XXIX:
- Lewis is the twentieth century's foremost popular writer and the most influential public intellectual for evangelicals.
- 2019, Louise Taylor, Alex Morgan heads USA past England into Women’s World Cup final (in The Guardian, 2 July 2019)[1]
- England head to Nice for Saturday’s third-place playoff after yet more semi-final disappointment but with heads held high having played their part in a wonderful game featuring some particularly harsh luck. Foremost among it was the marginal offside which saw an Ellen White goal disallowed and, later, a penalty miss by Steph Houghton.
- 2001, Chantel Laran Sawyer Lumpkin, The Influences of Assets on the Academic Achievement of African American College Students, p. 155:
Translations
foremost From the web:
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distinctive
English
Etymology
From Latin distinctus, perfect passive participle of distinguere (“to push apart, to divide”), + -ive (forming adjectives signifying relation or tendency to). Cognate with French distinctif and Medieval Latin distinctivus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d??st??kt?v/
Adjective
distinctive (comparative more distinctive, superlative most distinctive)
- Distinguishing, used to or enabling the distinguishing of some thing.
- 1583, Philip Stubbes, The Anatomie of Abuses, Fol. V:
- Our Apparell was giuen vs as a signe distinctiue to discern betwixt sex and sex.
- a product in distinctive packaging
- 1583, Philip Stubbes, The Anatomie of Abuses, Fol. V:
- (rare) Discriminating, discerning, having the ability to distinguish between things.
- 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, Vol. II, Ch. iii, p. 75:
- ...more judicious and distinctive heads...
- 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, Vol. II, Ch. iii, p. 75:
- Characteristic, typical.
- 1856, John Ruskin, Modern Painters, Vol. III, p. 293:
- Wordsworth's distinctive work was a war with pomp and pretence, and a display of the majesty of simple feelings and humble hearts.
- his distinctive bass voice
- 1856, John Ruskin, Modern Painters, Vol. III, p. 293:
- (rare) Distinguished, being distinct in character or position.
- 1867, Samuel Smiles, The Huguenots, Ch. xvii, p. 432:
- The refugees... at length ceased to exist as a distinctive body among the people.
- 1867, Samuel Smiles, The Huguenots, Ch. xvii, p. 432:
- (Hebrew grammar, of accents) Used to separate clauses in place of stops.
- 1874, Andrew Bruce Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, p. 27:
- These are the main distinctive accents, and by stopping at them... the reader will do justice to the sense.
- 1874, Andrew Bruce Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, p. 27:
- (linguistics, of sounds) Distinguishing a particular sense of word.
- 1927, L. Bloomfield & al., Language, No. 3, p. 129:
- Normally we symbolize only phonemes (distinctive features) so far as we can determine them.
- 1927, L. Bloomfield & al., Language, No. 3, p. 129:
Derived terms
- distinctive feature
Related terms
Translations
Noun
distinctive (plural distinctives)
- A distinctive thing: a quality or property permitting distinguishing; a characteristic.
- 1816, Maurice Keatinge, Travels through France and Spain to Morocco, Vol. I, p. 189:
- ...the red umbrella, the distinctive of royalty here...
- 1816, Maurice Keatinge, Travels through France and Spain to Morocco, Vol. I, p. 189:
- (Hebrew grammar) A distinctive accent.
- 1874, Andrew Bruce Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, p. 27:
- A distinctive of less power than Zakeph is ?iph?â.
- 1874, Andrew Bruce Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar, p. 27:
- (theology) A distinctive belief, tenet, or dogma of a denomination or sect.
- 1979, Theron F. Schlabach, "Gospel versus Gospel" in Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, p. 154:
- Mennonites could go forth somewhat detached from the chauvinism of Western culture—but not so from the Mennonite distinctives.
- 1979, Theron F. Schlabach, "Gospel versus Gospel" in Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, p. 154:
References
- “distinctive”, in OED Online ?, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1896
- distinctive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- distinctive in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dis.t??k.tiv/
- Homophone: distinctives
Adjective
distinctive
- feminine singular of distinctif
distinctive From the web:
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