höchste

Höchste is the superlative form of the German adjective hoch, meaning high or tall. It is used to indicate the utmost degree of height, elevation, quantity, or quality within a defined group or context.

In attributive position, höchte agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case: der höchste Berg, die höchste Spitze, das höchste Gebäude; plural die höchsten Berge. With possessive determiners you can also say meine höchste Priorität or seine höchste Leistung, among other examples.

Predicative use and adverbial use are also common. After forms of sein, the phrase kann be used as a predicate: Der Turm ist der höchste in der Stadt. In adverbial use, the related form am höchsten appears to express the extreme degree: Der Turm ist am höchsten.

As a noun, the word Höchste—capitalized in this form—can mean the utmost or the highest thing in a philosophical or literary sense: Für ihn ist die Familie das Höchste. In ordinary prose, however, höchte is typically used as an adjective, while das Höchste appears when the concept itself is being spoken of as a thing.

Etymology and related forms: höh is the root in German meaning high, and the superlative is formed with the suffix -ste, with the stem sometimes undergoing an umlaut (o to ö). The adverbial prefix höcht- is found in compounds and fixed expressions such as höchstwahrscheinlich (most likely) and das Höchste Maß (the highest measure).

Overall, höchte is a flexible, frequently used word in German for signaling the maximal degree of height, importance, or quality within a defined context.