Innermost

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɪnɚmoʊst/

Definitions

1. Situated at the very center or most secluded part of something
2. Characterized by being the most intimate or concealed level within an entity
3. Located at the deepest or central point within something ; relating to the most private or secret part of a person's feelings or thoughts

Etymology: The word "innermost" is a double superlative, built from "inner" plus "-most," and that doubling is the real story. Old English had "innemest," a superlative formed from "inne" (within), which already carried a superlative sense. Middle English speakers then reshaped it into "innermest" and "innermast," and the form "innermost" eventually settled in, likely influenced by the familiar Middle English "inner" (its comparative, from the same root) running alongside it. The "-most" ending is itself a superlative marker descended from Old English "-mest," which is why the word has what looks like two superlative endings stacked on one another. Grammarians have sometimes objected to such doubling, but English speakers never abandoned it, and "innermost" is the usual form for the sense "deepest or most private."

Synonyms: deepest, central, core, interior, hidden

Antonyms: outermost, superficial, external, outside, apparent