extreme

Etymology

Borrowed into late Middle English from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus, the superlative of exter.

adj

1. Of a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost.
   At the extreme edges, the coating is very thin.
2. In the greatest or highest degree; intense.
   He has an extreme aversion to needles, and avoids visiting the doctor.
3. Excessive, or far beyond the norm.
   His extreme love of model trains showed in the rails that criscrossed his entire home.
   An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes. 2013-03, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 114
4. Drastic, or of great severity.
   I think the new laws are extreme, but many believe them necessary for national security.
5. Of sports, difficult or dangerous; performed in a hazardous environment.
   Television has begun to reflect the growing popularity of extreme sports such as bungee jumping and skateboarding.
6. (archaic) Ultimate, final or last.
   the extreme hour of life

noun

1. The greatest or utmost point, degree or condition.
2. Each of the things at opposite ends of a range or scale.
   extremes of temperature
   Most public discussion about heat extremes refers to risks faced by the general community. Yet even greater extremes of heat exposure do and will occur in many occupational settings, posing special risks to health, behavior, and work capacity. 2017, Anthony J. McMichael, Alistair Woodward, Cameron Muir, Climate Change and the Health of Nations, page 56
3. (obsolete, plural only) One of the last moments of life.
4. A drastic expedient.
   Some people go to extremes for attention on social media.
5. (obsolete, plural only) Hardships, straits.
6. (mathematics) Either of the two numbers at the ends of a proportion, as 1 and 6 in 1:2=3:6.

adv

1. (archaic) Extremely.
   In the empty and extreme cold theatre. 1796, Charles Burney, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Metastasio, section 2.5