bottommost

Bottommost is an English adjective meaning the lowest in position or the part that lies furthest toward the bottom of something. It serves as the superlative form of bottom and is used to identify the lowest element within a group, set, or object, such as the bottommost shelf, the bottommost layer of sediment, or the bottommost point of a terrain feature.

Usage notes

Bottommost can be used attributively before a noun (the bottommost drawer) or predicatively (the bottommost part remains intact). It is common in both everyday and technical contexts, though in some formal or scientific writings, the term lowermost may be preferred for precise vertical ordering, and basal is used in geological or anatomical contexts.

Etymology

Bottommost is formed from the noun bottom plus the superlative suffix -most. It shares its meaning with related terms such as lowest and lowermost.

Synonyms and related terms

Lowermost, lowest, bottom, basal (in scientific contexts), and occasionally inferior or downwardmost. The choice among these words can depend on field, formality, and whether a physical position or conceptual ranking is being described.

See also

Bottom, lowest, lowermost, basal.