Dictionary

ultima Thule en · NOUN

Etymology

From Latin ultima Thūlē, nominative feminine singular of ultimus (“furthest”) + Thule, from mediaeval geography; originally from the Ancient Greek Θούλη (Thoúlē), a (possibly mythical) island to the north of Britain.

Meanings

1. A place beyond the borders of the known world.
   • It is impossible to define a reason for the Gulf Settlements attaining this unenviable notoriety, unless it is owing to the remoteness of their locality, and the kind of Ultima Thule that part of Australia seems to be. 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 306:
   • Ultima Thule! Utmost Isle! / Here in thy harbors for a while / We lower our sails; a while we rest / From the unending, endless quest. 1880, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Dedication to G. W. G.”, in Ultima Thule:
2. Highest achievement.

Forms

Translations (4)

fr ultima Thulé (Translations) · es última Tule (Translations) · ja 極北 (Translations) · fr ultime Thulé (Translations)