last word

English

Noun

last word (plural last words)

1. (idiomatic, often preceded by "the" and followed by "in") The finest, highest, or ultimate representative of some class of objects.
   • 1917, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams, ch. 39,

     Little Joe's mother's cake was the last word in cakes.

   • 1928, D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover, ch. 3,

     Michaelis was the last word in what was caddish and bounderish.

2. (idiomatic) Concluding remarks or comments
3. (in the plural) the final statement uttered by a person before death.
   • 1912, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World, ch. 7,

     This account I am transmitting down the river by canoe, and it may be our last word to those who are interested in our fate.

4. (idiomatic) A final decision, or the right to make such a decision.
   • 2008, Jeff Israely, "Where Is the Afghan Female Runner?," Time, 9 Jul.,

     An Afghan Olympic official said the team holds the right to substitute Andyar with another female athlete, though the IOC would have the last word.

Synonyms

• (finest or ultimate representative): exemplar

Translations

finest, highest or ultimate representation of some class of object

• Russian: последнее слово (ru) (poslédneje slóvo) n

concluding remarks

• Icelandic: síðasta orðið (is) n, (to have the last word) eiga síðasta orðið (is)

often pluralized; last words uttered before death

• Icelandic: (poetic) hinstu orð (is) n pl, síðustu orð (is) n pl

• Russian: последнее слово (ru) (poslédneje slóvo) n

References

• "last word" at OneLook® Dictionary Search.