Etymologically
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extreme

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪkˈstriːm/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English extreme,[2] borrowed from Middle French extreme, Old French extreme (13th century),[3][4] from Latin extrēmus (“outermost, utmost, farthest, last”),[3][4][5] the superlative of exterus “outward, outside”,[4][5] from ex “out of”.[4] It is related to exterior and external.[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Very severe, utter, farthest”: probably before 1425, in a translation of Higden's Polychronicon, according to Barnhart;[4] the early 15th century in Etymonline.[3] The OED's quotations start about 1460, of a quality or feeling existing in the utmost degree.[7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “last, latest”, from about 1477, survives only in extreme unction, the last rites.[7][3] Of measures, “severe or violent in the utmost degree”, it is from 1512,[7] and “outermost, farthest from the centre” from 1503.[7] The noun, the utmost point, is from 1546,[4][2] first of the end of life, compare Latin in extremis.[3] Extremes, the opposite ends of anything, is from the 1550s,[3] and extreme measures from 1709.[3] Of opinions, going beyond the limits of moderation, it is from 1876.[7] Because the word was not always felt as a superlative, more extreme and most extreme came into use, which Johnson condemned.[3][8] Extremist is from 1846 and extremism from 1865.[4]

Timeline

  • a. 1425 – utter, farthest.[4]
  • c. 1460 – in the utmost degree.[7]
  • c. 1477 – last, as in extreme unction.[7]
  • 1512 – of drastic measures.[7]
  • 1546 – noun, the utmost point.[4][2]
  • 1709 – extremes, extreme measures.[3]
  • 1846 – extremist.[4]
  • 1876 – of opinions.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Farthest or outermost: the extreme north.
  2. Very great or intense: extreme cold.
  3. Going far beyond the normal or moderate: extreme views.
  4. Very severe; drastic: extreme measures.
  5. Of a sport, very dangerous or difficult: extreme skiing.
  6. (archaic) Last, final.

Noun

  1. The greatest or utmost degree: generous to an extreme.
  2. Either of two things at opposite ends of a range: extremes of heat and cold.
  3. A drastic measure or expedient.
  4. (mathematics) The first or last term of a ratio or series.

Word family

  • extremely
  • extremeness
  • extremal
  • extremophile
  • extremism
  • extremum
  • extremity
  • extremist
  • exterior
  • external

Usage notes

Johnson called more extreme and most extreme a corruption, since the word already has a superlative sense.[8][3] In London an old adverbial use, “extremely”, as in “how extreme cold it is”, was recorded by the English Dialect Dictionary.[9]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  9. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)