nethermost
adjective

- lowest in position

- lowest; farthest down

Oxford Languages, Merriam-Webster,

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WORD ORIGIN

The word “nether” comes from Old English niþera, which is a comparative form of niðer (meaning "down, below, beneath"). The root traces back to the Proto-Germanic nitharaz ("down, lower") and the Proto-Indo-European root ni- ("down, below”).

“Most” is a superlative suffix that indicates the utmost degree of something. It derives from Old English -mest, which is related to Proto-Germanic -mastaz.

When combined, nethermost literally means "the most nether" or "the lowest." It has been in use in English since the Old English period (nitheremest or nederemest), solidifying its meaning as "lowest" or "farthest down" over time. Its use often has a poetic or archaic tone in modern English.

The word is related to "Netherlands" (literally "low lands") and appears in the word "netherworld" (the underworld).

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NETHERMOST NETHERLANDS

- The Netherlands has more bikes than people, with an estimated 22.5 million bicycles for 17 million people - and over 35,000 kilometers of dedicated cycling paths.

- Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is actually built below sea level - it sits at -11 feet (-3.4 meters) below sea level, making it one of the world's lowest commercial airports.

- The Dutch introduced orange carrots. Before Dutch farmers bred them in the 17th century to honor the House of Orange, carrots were primarily purple or white.

- Dutch people are the tallest in the world on average, with men averaging 6 feet (183 cm) and women 5'7" (170 cm).

- Gin was invented by the Dutch (called jenever) and brought to England when Dutch William III became King of England in 1688.

- The Netherlands grows and exports about two-thirds of the world's tulips, but tulips originally came from Turkey.

- The Dutch concept of "niksen" means doing absolutely nothing and has become internationally recognized as a stress-reduction technique.

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SYNONYMS

basal, base, basement, basement-level, basest, edrock,b below-stairs, beneath the surface, bottom, bottom-barrel, bottom-dwelling, bottom-feeding, bottom-level, bottom-most, bottommost, deep-down, deepest, down-under, downmost, foundation, ground-level, gutter-level, low-level, lowermost, lowest, lowest rung, lowest-tier, lowliest, meat-and-potatoes, nadir, nether, NETHERMOST, pit-bottom, pit-deep, rock-bottom, subbasement, submerged, subterranean, the bowels of the earth, underground, underlying, undermost, underworld, very bottom

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

"At the NETHERMOST point of the valley, the air was filled with serenity and calm."

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