farthest

Farthest is the superlative form of the English adjective and adverb far, indicating the greatest distance from a reference point. It appears as an adjective: “the farthest town on the map,” and as an adverb: “they traveled the farthest they could.”

Usage notes: Traditionally, farther is the comparative form used for physical distances (“the farther shore”), while farthest is used for the greatest distance among three or more referents. For figurative distance or extent, further and furthest are common, and in modern usage the line between farther and further is often blurred in everyday speech. Both farthest and furthest are widely understood and used in different varieties of English.

Etymology: Farthest derives from Old English feorr, with the standard English suffixes -er and -est forming the comparative and superlative. The word has cognates in other Germanic languages and appears in English from early periods.

See also: far, farther, further, furthest, distance.