PARAMOUNT (Anglo-Fr. paramont, up above,

See also:

• PAR (Lat. par, equal)

par el mont, up or on

See also:

• TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top of the

See also:

• MOUNTAIN (0. Fr. montaigne; popular Lat. montanea, an adjectival form from the classical mons, montis, whence Eng. " mount," a form usually used along with the name of an individual mountain, e.g. Mt Everest)
• MOUNTAIN, THE (La Montagne)

mountain)  , superior, supreme, holding the highest authority, or being of the greatest importance . The word was first used, as a term of feudal law, of the lord, the " lord paramount," who held his fief from no superior lord, and was thus opposed to " mesne lord," one who held from a superior . To those who held their fiefs from one who was not a " lord paramount " was given the correlative term " paravail," par d vat, in the valley . The word was confused by English lawyers with " avail," help, assistance, profit, and applied .to the actual working tenant of the land, the lowest tenant or occupier .