last word

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Jump to: navigation, search

[edit] English

last word (plural last words)

(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.
(idiomatic) Concluding remarks or comments
(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.
(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.

finest, highest or ultimate representation of some class of object

concluding remarks

often pluralized; last words uttered before death