Etymology

preeminent

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Today it means: Exceeding others in quality or rank; of outstanding excellence, extremely notable or important. Full definition →

First used 15th c.Middle French preeminent ← Latin praeēminēns
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The story

  1. Latin · borrowed frompraeēminēns
  2. Middle French · borrowed frompreeminent
  3. English todaypreeminent

Borrowed from Middle French preeminent and its source, Latin praeēminēns, present participle of praeēmineō (“to stand out, excel”), from prae- (“pre-”) + ēmineō.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 15th c. Exceeding others in quality or rank; of outstanding excellence, extremely notable or important.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.