From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
foremost
adj 1: ranking above all others; "was first in her class"; "the
foremost figure among marine artists"; "the top
graduate" [syn: first, world-class]
2: situated closest to the bow; "the foremost compartment of
the ship"
3: preceding all others in spatial position; "the foremost
compartment of the ship" [syn: frontmost]
adv 1: prominently forward; "he put his best foot foremost" [syn:
first]
2: before anything else; "first we must consider the garter
snake" [syn: first, firstly, first of all, {first
off}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Foremost \Fore"most`\, a. [OE. formest first, AS. formest,
fyrmest, superl. of forma first, which is a superl. fr. fore
fore; cf. Goth. frumist, fruma, first. See Fore, adv., and
cf. First, Former, Frame, v. t., Prime, a.]
First in time or place; most advanced; chief in rank or
dignity; as, the foremost troops of an army.
[1913 Webster]
THat struck the foremost man of all this world. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]