höchsten

Höchsten is the superlative form of the German adjective hoch, meaning high, tall, or high in degree. It expresses the greatest height or degree within a group or context. In German, the adverbial superlative is am höchsten; höchsten is therefore used as an attributive or predicative adjective when describing a noun and agreeing with its case, number, and gender.

Morphology and usage: The ending is determined by the inflection pattern and the presence of a determiner. In plural form with a definite article, the attributive superlative appears as die höchsten …, for example die höchsten Berge Europas. In singular, masculine or neuter dative, you find dem höchsten …, as in im höchsten Turm. In feminine or plural forms, the ending -sten is used in certain cases, producing phrases like die höchsten Türme or auf den höchsten Betrag. The adverbial form remains am höchsten.

Examples:

- Die höchsten Berge Europas liegen in den Alpen.

- Er stieg in den höchsten Turm der Kathedrale.

- Die Türme sind die höchsten des Landes.

- Die Preise wurden auf den höchsten Betrag erhöht.

Etymology and scope: Hoch derives from the Old High German hoh or hóh, related to height and elevation across Germanic languages. The superlative höchsten is widely used in geographic, architectural, economic, and abstract contexts to denote maximal height, degree, or importance. As with other adjectives, höchstens appears in fixed phrases or in comparative constructions when the determiner and noun require agreement.