meaning - "No less than" idiom root


I know that "No less than somebody/something" means that this somebody/something is important.


What I don't understand is why this idiom means so!! What I literally understand is that "No less than" means that nothing is less than that somebody/something. Which means that every thing is more than that somebody/something and nothing is less, making that somebody/something the least of the group.


Could any one correct my understanding with explaining why so?!



Illustrative Example:


"Almost two dozen representatives flew in for meetings with top officials, including no less than the country's president."


No less than here means: A person who was not less [of an important person] than the president himself.




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