voorste

Voorste is a Dutch word that functions as an adjective meaning front, foremost, or anterior, and it can also be used as a noun referring to the thing or person at the front. It contrasts with achterste, meaning rear or hindmost. In everyday language, voorste appears in phrases such as het voorste deel (the front part) and de voorste rij (the front row). The term is common in both ordinary and technical Dutch.

As an adjective, voorste can describe position or priority, and it is used with definite articles to form compound noun phrases: bijvoorbeeld het voorste gedeelte, de voorste kamer. In the sense of a person, de voorste kan verwijzen naar iemand aan de voorkant, for example in a queue of people or in a line of animals. In medical and anatomical Dutch, voorste is used to indicate the anterior location, for instance de voorste hersenkwab (the frontal lobe) or de voorste zijde (the front side).

Etymologically, voorste derives from het prepositievoorwerk voor- meaning in front, with the common Dutch suffix -ste used to form ordinal or superlative-like adjectives. Its opposite is achterste, used to describe the rear or hindmost part.

In addition to its use as a common descriptor, voorste can appear as part of technical terms in fields such as anatomy, biology, and architecture, always with the sense of frontmost or anterior. The word also occurs as a surname, though it remains relatively rare and is primarily encountered in Dutch-speaking regions.

See also: Dutch language, anterior, achterste, front in anatomy, ordinal adjectives.