Literary notes about Foremost (AI summary)
Literary authors often use the word "foremost" to denote superiority, preeminence, or a leading position, whether in quality or in physical arrangement. It can emphasize that a subject is of the highest rank or most distinguished, as when a singer is hailed as one of the world’s foremost in her art [1] or when someone is called the foremost free-thinker [2]. On the other hand, "foremost" also signals the position at the very front or head of a group, as illustrated by descriptions of horses being set foremost during a departure [3] or warriors fighting in the foremost ranks [4]. This dual usage enables writers to clearly underscore both excellence and primacy within their narratives.
- Since then she has attained the position of one of the world's foremost singers, both in opera and oratorio.
— from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various - And how well I had chosen my opponent!—the foremost free-thinker of Germany.
— from Ecce Homo by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - They put their horse foremost, and went down themselves into the sea.
— from Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus - His squire was in charge of it at some distance and he was fighting on foot among the foremost until he lost his life.
— from The Iliad by Homer
