Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <degree-of-comparison>
Title: Equivalent of "former" and "latter" for more than 2 items
Question: Former  and  latter  are valid only when there are two choices.  If I have a list of more than two items, is there an elegant way to say  the first one  or  the last one ?

Answers:
sents: text: You can say first and last (without one ).
text: Of winter, spring, and summer, I find the last most enjoyable.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/252/kiamlaluno
score: 16
sents: text: Interesting question.
text: First and last will do, but suppose you wanted to refer to the middle option, or the fourth option?
text: Consider for example a scenario where a party of adventurers must choose from a list of options; Go forward into the forest, singing a song of sixpence
text: Go back to base to retrieve some hats Go back to base to dispute the pronunciation of the word "tomato" Stay put, weave baskets, and hope for rescue Stay put, weave baskets, and try to summon a helpful genie
text: Now if I were in this party considering these options, I might suggest we take the second option, but it is far more likely that I say something like we need our hats , implying that we should take the second option where we also go back to base.
text: In other words, with more than two options, the most elegant way is to refer to the unique attributes of the option.
text: In fact, with just two options I still think this is more elegant than former and latter since it relieves the reader of the burden of remembering which is which.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/588/Ed Guiness
score: 13
sents: text: I don't think there's anything inelegant about first or last .
text: You can always use ultimate , penultimate , and antepenultimate if you want to be certain no one understands you.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/1696/TRiG
score: 12
sents: text: 'latter' is NOT only valid when there are two items!
text: According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the 2nd meaning of 'latter': 2 : of, relating to, or being the second of two groups or things or the last of several groups or things.
text: This also puzzled me, a non-native speaker in the beginning.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/22896/HongboZhu
score: 7
sents: text: There are other words you can use in place of "first" and "last" - for example, "foremost" and "lattermost" - but whether that is more elegant , or just more pretentious, could be debatable.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/4796/Waggers
score: 4
sents: text: It has to be 'first' and 'last', as they are simply the superlatives of which 'former' and 'latter' are the comparatives.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/8019/Tim Lymington
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
To refer to the first and last item in a list of more than two items, you can simply refer to them as "first" and "last". Other valid words could be "foremost" and "lattermost". However, "latter" is not only valid when there are two items and may be used also for the last of several groups or things.
The option is to say "first and last" omitting "one, as they are simply the superlatives of "former' and 'latter' which are the comparatives.If there are only two choices of items this can considered more elegant than  former  and  latter  since it relieves the reader of the burden of remembering which is which.  Another option is ultimate ,  penultimate , and  antepenultimate, but these are more obscure terms that may not be understood In addition, However, and according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the 2nd meaning of 'latter':   2 :  of, relating to, or being the second of two groups or things or  the last of several groups or things, means it can apply if there are more than two items."Foremost" and "lattermost" -are other terms that could be used.
To refer to the first and last item in a list of more than two items, you can simply refer to them as "first" and "last". Other valid words could be "foremost" and "lattermost". However, "latter" is not only valid when there are two items and may be used also for the last of several groups or things.
First' and 'last' are valid, and 'latter' can be used with more than two groups or things. Terms like ultimate, penultimate, antepenultimate, foremost and lattermost could be used, but would usually be considered pretentious or confusing.
The equivalent of "former" and "latter" for more than 2 items is 'first' and 'last', as they are simply the superlatives of which 'former' and 'latter' are the comparatives. Other possible options are; ultimate, penultimate, antepenultimate, foremost, lattermost, 
The terms "first" and "last" should be perfectly acceptable in this case, and in fact, "latter" is still acceptable for lists of more than two items. However, other potentially applicable terms include "ultimate", "foremost" or "lattermost".