para-mount

adjective

chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent: a point of paramount significance.

above others in rank or authority; superior in power or jurisdiction.

noun

a supreme ruler; overlord.

Origin:
1525–35; < Anglo-French paramont above, equivalent to par per- + a mont < Latin ad montem to the mountain, hence, in Old French: upward, above; see ad-, mount²

Related forms

par·a·mount·cy, noun

par·a·mount·ly, adverb

su·per·par·a·mount, adjective

Can be confused: paramount, tantamount, ultimately.

Synonyms
1. See dominant.

Antonyms
1. unimportant.

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a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

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noun

a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

paramount (ˈpærəˌmaʊnt)

—*adj*
1.	of the greatest importance or significance; pre-eminent

—n
2.	rare a supreme ruler

[C16: via Anglo-Norman from Old French paramont, from par by + -amont above, from Latin ad montem to the mountain]

'paramountcy

—n

'paramountly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

paramount

1531, from Anglo-Fr. paramont "above" (in place, order, degree), 1339, from O.Fr. par "by" + amont "up," from a mont "upward." The whole from L. per ad montem, lit. "to the hill."

Matching Quote

"Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God."

-unknown author

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para-mount

par·a·mount

Par·a·mount