preeminent

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French preeminent and its source, Latin praeēminēns, present participle of praeēmineō (“to stand out, excel”), from prae- (“pre-”) + ēmineō.

adj

1. Exceeding others in quality or rank; of outstanding excellence, extremely notable or important.
   China is still preeminent for its Goldfish, of which Pennant informs us that the most beautiful kinds, both for elegance of shape and richness of tinting, are taken in a small lake in the Province of Che-kyang. 1863, H. Cholmondeley-Pennell, “The Carp Family”, in The Angler-Naturalist: A Popular History of British Fresh-water Fish, with a Plain Explanation of the Rudiments of Ichthyology, London: George Routledge and Sons, →OCLC, page 116