fremmest

Fremmest is a North Germanic term used in Norwegian and Danish to form the superlative of the adjective or adverb frem, meaning forward or ahead. It denotes the utmost position or degree of a quality, such as being the most forward physically or the most prominent in a group. In Norwegian, fremmest is often found in more formal or literary contexts; the everyday frontmost sense is more commonly expressed with fremst. In Danish, the same superlative form exists and is used similarly.

The word is used both attributively (before a noun) and predicatively (with a linking verb) and can function as an adverb, as in phrases meaning “the most of all.” Common uses include indicating the frontmost position in a line or the most prominent member of a group. For example, den fremste kandidaten can be rendered as the foremost candidate, and fremmest av alle can convey the sense of “most of all.”

Etymology and related forms: fremmest derives from the stem frem, meaning forward, with the superlative marker -mest. It shares its semantic field with the Swedish cognate främst, which has a closely related meaning and is used in similar contexts. In Swedish, främst is often used more broadly to mean primarily or chiefly, in addition to its frontward sense.

See also: foremost, frontmost, främst (Swedish cognate). The term’s precise inflection and use vary by dialect and context, with fremst sometimes favored in spoken Norwegian for frontward sense and fremmest appearing more often in formal or literary registers.