† ˈovemest, a. Obs.
Forms: α. 1–3 ufemest, 3 uuemest, -mast, 5 umast, 6 umest, owmest. β. 3–4 ovemest, 4–5 ovemast, omast, omest, omyst.
[OE. ufemest, superl. of ufera, -re, comp. (also yfera, yf(e)mest), over a.; f. root uf- in adv. ufan above, from above, ufe-weard, uplying, top-, = Goth. uf ‘beneath’, in comb. ‘from beneath’, ‘up-’. For the later change to ove-, cf. over a.]
Highest, upmost, uppermost, topmost.
| α c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 76 On midne dæᵹ bið seo sunne on ðam ufemestum ryne stiᵹende. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 219 Þe huuemeste bou of þe treuwe springed of the neþemeste rote... Alse þe uuemeste bou is sib þe neþemeste rote. a 1225 Ancr. R. 328 Heo..doð an alre vuemeste [v.r. uuemaste] on viterokes al to torene. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xxxi. 48 Endlang the wode war wayis twa; The Erle in the umast lay off tha. 1535 Lyndesay Sat. 3900 Thay salbe..denudit, Baith of cors present, cow, and umest claith. |
| β c 1290 St. Michael 414 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 311 Þe Ouemeste is þe riȝtte heouene. 13.. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxxviii. 815 And seþþen þe ouemaste Bayle Bi-tokneþ hire holy sposayle. c 1430 Art Nombryng 3 Write the nombre wherto the addicioun shalle be made in the omest ordre by his differences, so that the first of the lower ordre be vndre the first of the omyst ordre, and so of others. c 1470 Henry Wallace vi. 458 Atour a bray the omast [v.r. vpmest] pot gert fall, Brak on the ground. |