Cool words #23

‘Ultimate’ is a cool word. According to the OED, it means the last or final, beyond which no other exists or is possible. It also looks cool when you write it down and sounds even cooler when you say it. Way better than, say, a word like ‘residue’. That’s why the villain in the next Avengers movie is called Ultron and not Residutron. Same goes for Ultimate Fighting Championship/Residue Fighting Championship, ultimatum/residumatum, etc. In fact, ultimate may be the ultimate cool word, although it would have to beat out the likes of ‘avenger’, ‘gerrymander’ and ‘penultimate’.