Paramount

//ˈpæɹəmaʊnt// adj, name, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent. not-comparable, often, postpositional

    "[…]a Traitor Paramount;"

  2. 2
    Of the highest importance. not-comparable

    "Getting those credit cards paid off is paramount."

  3. 3
    Of a law, right, etc.: having precedence over or superior to another. not-comparable, obsolete
Adjective
  1. 1
    having superior power and influence wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A city in Los Angeles County, California, United States.
Noun
  1. 1
    A chief or superior; (specifically, chiefly South Africa) an African chief having the highest status in a region; a paramount chief.
  2. 2
    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. obsolete

Etymology

Etymology 1

PIE word *h₂éd From Anglo-Norman paramont /paramount (“paramount, pre-eminent; above”), from Old French par /per (“by”) + amont /amunt (“upward”). Par is derived from Latin per (“by means of, through”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; to carry forth, fare”); 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”)).

Etymology 2

PIE word *h₂éd From Anglo-Norman paramont /paramount (“paramount, pre-eminent; above”), from Old French par /per (“by”) + amont /amunt (“upward”). Par is derived from Latin per (“by means of, through”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; to carry forth, fare”); 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”)).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: paramount