[ad. late L. ultimāt-us, pa. pple. of ultimāre to be at the end, f. ultimus last, final: see ULTIME a.]
A. adj. 1. Of ends, designs, etc.: Lying beyond all others; forming the final aim or object.
1654. Jer. Taylor, Real Pres., i. 10. The faithful and pious communicants receive the ultimate end of his presence, that is, spiritual blessings.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., I. 67. In the obtainment of which he hath come to the ultimate design of his endeavours.
1675. Baxter, Cath. Theol., I. I. 61. God is this ultimate End of man,… to which all are means.
a. 1721. Prior, Dial. Dead, iii. Wks. 1907, II. 258. The beginning, Progress, and Ultimate end of Thought.
1758. Johnson, Idler, No. 1, ¶ 3. To be idle is the ultimate purpose of the busy.
1782. Priestley, Corrupt. Chr., I. Pref. p. xiii. If my proper and ultimate object be considered.
1847. G. Harris, Life Ld. Hardwicke, I. iv. 354. A far higher and nobler reward is their ultimate aim.
a. 1871. Grote, Eth. Fragm., iv. (1876), 72. They would … esteem different agents in proportion as they tended to assist these same ultimate purposes.
1892. H. Lane, Differ. Rheum. Dis. (ed. 2), vi. 119. The ultimate goal of all our investigations and observations.
2. Coming at the end of a process, course of action, etc., or as the last in a succession or series; arrived at as a final result or in the last resort.
1660. R. Coke, Justice Vind., 8. I am content with Aristotle’s definition of the will,… That it is the ultimate resolution, end, or determination of counsel.
1671. Milton, P. R., III. 210. My harbour and my ultimate repose, The end I would attain, my final good.
1755. Young, Centaur, ii. Wks. 1757, IV. 159. All agree, that several goods being proposed for our ultimate enjoyment, it is impossible in our nature not to chuse the best.
1785. Paley, Mor. Philos., VI. xii. (1818), II. 426. Containing that which in peace and war is equally unjustifiable—ultimate and gratuitous mischief.
1827. Faraday, Chem. Manip., ii. (1842), 30. The oscillations … will be found to be quick, and the beam will soon take its ultimate state of rest.
1841. Miall, in Nonconf., I. 2. Ultimate success will require union, patience, persevering energy.
1860. Ruskin, Unto this Last (1862), 8. No man ever knew, or can know, what will be the ultimate result to himself, or to others, of any given line of conduct.
1890. H. Lane, Differ. Rheum. Dis., 5. Not to exhaust the subject, nor even to lead the way to the ultimate hope of eradicating the source and origin of the evil.
b. Of resolves, etc.: Final, determinate, absolute.
1687. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. s.v., This is the ultimate Resolution.
1779. J. Moore, View Soc. France (1789), I. i. 4. I have now formed an ultimate resolution against gaming.
1786. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), I. 570. An ultimate opinion should not be formed till we see Mr. Randall.
1803. in Gurw., Wellington’s Desp. (1837), II. 138, note. I consented to wait till then for their ultimate decision.
c. Putting an end to further continuance, development, or action; final, decisive.
1755. Johnson, End,… ultimate state; final doom.
1781. Cowper, Hope, 640. Nature opposes … This riving stroke, this ultimate divorce.
1803. Malthus, Popul. (1817), I. 17. The ultimate check to population appears then to be a want of food.
1827. Pollok, Course T., VI. 365. Some disaster great and ultimate.
1838. Prescott, Ford. & Is., Introd. ii. I. 79. To protect the subject from the oppressions of the crown and its officers, over all which cases it possessed original and ultimate jurisdiction.
1870. Mozley, Univ. Serm., iii. (1877), 60. The natural philosopher is practically assured from the concurrence of data before him, of a result, before the ultimate test is got.
d. Forming a final stage, point, or limit; beyond which there is no advance or progress.
1794. G. Adams, Nat. & Exp. Philos., I. v. 204. I informed then that the creatures [larvæ] before us were not in their ultimate state, but were the produce of the bee-fly.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 34. This salt … causes the hair to contract itself, until it has attained the ultimate limit of its contraction.
1869. Raskine, Mach. & Millwork, 497. The ultimate shearing strength, or modulus of resistance to shearing.
1878. E. Taylor, Deukalion, III. v. 127. Why should I conceal The ultimate barrier where I needs must pause?
3. Beyond which no advance can be made by investigation or analysis; forming a limit or final stage in respect of nature or quality; fundamental or elemental.
1659. Pearson, Creed, ii. 147. We must acknowledge that the actuall giving of salvation to us, is the ultimate and conclusive ground of the title Saviour.
1681. Ess. Peace & Truth Ch., 9. Man therefore is justly defined to be a Rational Religious Creature, therein consisting the formal ultimate difference from a Brute.
1739. Hume, Hum. Nat., Introd. (1874), I. 308. Any hypothesis, that pretends to discover the ultimate original qualities of human nature.
1749. Hartley, Observ. Man, II. 32. Since God is the ultimate Author of all Motion, we must suppose him to be immaterial.
1792. N. Chipman, Rep. (1871), 53. The King was, in view of the law, the ultimate owner of all lands within his dominions.
1808. Jebb, in Knox & Jebb’s Corr. (1834), I. 453. There are ultimate truths, far above human ken.
1836. J. Gilbert, Chr. Atonem., iv. (1852), 113. The ultimate law of moral agents must be the will of God.
1850. McCosh, Div. Govt., III. i. (1874), 295. In the inquiry into virtue and vice, we come back to ultimate principles, on which all morality rests.
1880. Sayce, Introd. Sci. Lang. (1890), I. 113. The sentence, in short, is … the ultimate starting-point of all our linguistic inquiries.
b. Of material things, esp. of the component particles of matter.
1808. Barclay, Muscular Motions, 273. These fibres, composed of the fibres that are called ultimate, are seldom seen extending from the one extremity of a muscle to the other.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sc. & Art, II. 303. All that can be affirmed of the state in which the ultimate particles of matter exist, is only the result of conjecture.
1836–41. Brande, Chem. (ed. 5), 1053. Although the ultimate principles of vegetable substances are few in number.
1857. Miller, Elem. Chem., Org., 11. To determine the relative proportion in which each of the ultimate elements exists.
1871. Tyndall, Fragm. Sci. (1879), II. vi. 81. This formative power,… ready to … build the ultimate particles of matter into definite shapes.
transf. 1831. T. P. Jones, New Convers. Chem., xxviii. 282. When we decompose them [sc. proximate principles], to ascertain how much they contain of each of the simple bodies, the operation is called ultimate analysis.
1857. Miller, Elem. Chem., Org., 6. The determination of the proportions … furnishes an illustration of what is meant by ultimate organic analysis.
c. Math. Ultimate ratio, the final limiting ratio between two variable quantities which simultaneously approach definite fixed values or limits. (Correl. to prime ratio: see PRIME a. 9 d.)
1729. A. Motte, trans. Newton’s Principia, I. 46. The ultimate ratio of the arc, chord, and tangent, any one to any other, is the ratio of equality.
1749. Hartley, Observ. Man, II. 32. According to the mathematical Doctrine of ultimate Ratios, not even an infinite Series … could remove it.
1818. Vince, Fluxions (ed. 5), 16. The ingenious … Author of the Analyst … went upon the term ultimate ratio, assuming equality where it was never intended.
1842. Brande, Dict. Sci., etc., 974/2. They are called prime ratios, or ultimate ratios, according as the ratios of the variables are considered as receding from, or approaching to, the ratios of the limits.
4. Not followed by another; last. rare–1.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, II. iv. 292. Returning home, he bad farewel to the fluid Element; this being his ultimate Expedition.
5. Forming a result or conclusion of a character different from the starting-point or present state; eventual, resultant.
1777. Priestley, Disc. Philos. Necess., Ded. p. ix. All seeming discord is real harmony, and all apparent evil, ultimate good.
1795. Burke, Th. Scarcity, Wks. 1842, II. 253. The quiet of the town is purchased by the ruin of the country, and the ultimate wretchedness of both.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Homes Abroad, ix. 127. One yields temporary benefit to a few at the expense of ultimate injury to the many.
1874. Green, Short Hist., iv. § 1. 161. Neither trick nor conquest could shake the firm faith of the Celt in the ultimate victory of his race.
6. Final, last; occurring in, or falling on, the last syllable of a word.
1837. G. Phillips, Syriac Gram., 28. If the ultimate syllable be perfect without the terminating consonant.
1862. Marsh, Lect. Eng. Lang., 380. The great frequency of ultimate and penultimate accentuation.
7. Most remote in space or position. rare–1.
1848. Johnston, in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, II. 297. The ultimate [joint] armed with a long curved … claw.
B. sb. 1. The final point or result; the end or conclusion; the last step.
1681. Rycaut, trans. Gracian’s Critick, 113. Ordinary Toyes, applauded by a Castilian, for but being his own, with praises as might befit the ultimate of all Perfection.
1718. J. Fox, Wanderer, 72. I … once hoped I might attain to the very Ultimate of what you propos’d by Sunday last.
1728. Eliza Heywood, trans. Mme. de Gomez’s Belle A. (1732), II. 2. Thelamont,… having now obtain’d the ultimate of his Desires, appear’d more bright and gay than ever.
1794. Hutton, Philos. Light, etc., 211. A proper fulminating composition, which seems to be the ultimate to which we may proceed.
1820. Shelley, Ess. & Lett. (1852), II. 225. I shall write to you the ultimates of my Commission in my next letter.
1852. Bailey, Festus (ed. 5), 534. Ends and beginnings mingle at the last; All ultimates are foreordained.
1890. Booth, Darkest Eng., II. vi. 230. They carried their principles of freedom and license to the logical ultimate.
2. The point at which investigation or analysis stops; a final or fundamental fact or principle.
1709. Mrs. Manley, Secret Mem. (1720), IV. 101. It was not her Fault that she became not Mistress of the great Secret, the Ultimate of Chymistry.
1774. J. Bryant, Mythol., I. p. xii. The Deluge … was esteemed … the ultimate of Gentile history. Ibid., II. 267. The ancient Poet … spoke of him as the father of mankind. In short he was the ultimate, to which Grecian history referred.
1841. Blackw. Mag., XLIX. 152. Mind seems as it were to be getting loose upon space. It reposes upon no religious ultimates.
1862. H. Spencer, First Princ., II. iii. § 50 (1875), 169. We come down then finally to Force, as the ultimate of ultimates.
1866. E. P. Whipple, Character & Characteristic Men, 268. If he calls his notion Law and makes law an ultimate, beyond which the human reason cannot go.
