Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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adj
Relating to the culmen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Growing upward, as opposed to lateral growth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Of a heavenly body, to be at the highest point, reach its greatest altitude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To reach the (physical or figurative) summit, highest point, peak etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: peak
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To reach a climax; to come to a decisive point, especially an end or conclusion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, intransitive
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To reach a point at which continued progress is not possible.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
Qualifier: etc
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To finalize, bring to a conclusion, form the climax of.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
rise to, or form, a summit
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: form
verb
bring to a head or to the highest point
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: end, terminate
verb
end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: climax
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: end, stop, finish, terminate, cease
Narrower terms: crown, top
verb
reach the highest altitude or the meridian, of a celestial body
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: reach, make, attain, hit, arrive at, gain
verb
reach the highest or most decisive point
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: achieve, accomplish, attain, reach
History
First attested in 1846; by surface analysis, Latin culmen (oblique stem culmin-) + -ate (adjective-forming suffix), see Etymology 1.
First attested in 1647; borrowed from Medieval Latin culminātus, perfect passive participle of culminō (“to crown”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin culmen (“peak, highest point”, oblique stem culmin-) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), older form columen (“top, summit”), from Proto-Italic *kolamen, from a Proto-Indo-European base *kol-, *kelH- (“to project, rise; peak, summit, top”), whence also English hill and holm.
Across languages
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
