n.
- The highest point or part; the top.
- The highest level or degree that can be attained.
- The highest level, as of government officials.
- A conference or meeting of high-level leaders, usually called to shape a program of action.
v., -mit·ed, -mit·ing, -mits. v.tr.
To climb to the summit of (a mountain).
v.intr.
To climb to the summit.
[Middle English somet, from Old French sommette, diminutive of som, top, from Latin summum, from neuter of summus, highest.]
SYNONYMS summit, peak, pinnacle, acme, apex, zenith, climax. These nouns all mean the highest point. Summit denotes the highest level attainable: "This [appointment] had been the summit of Mr. Bertram's ambition" (Sir Walter Scott). Peak usually refers to the uppermost point: "It was the peak of summer in the Berkshires" (Saul Bellow). Pinnacle denotes a towering height, as of achievement: The articulation of the theory of relativity catapulted Einstein to the pinnacle of his profession. Acme refers to an ultimate point, as of perfection: The artist's talents were at their acme when this work was created. Apex is the culminating point: The military regime represented the apex of oppression and intimidation. Zenith is the point of highest achievement, most complete development, or greatest power: "Chivalry was then in its zenith" (Henry Hallam). Climax refers to the point of greatest strength, effect, or intensity that marks the endpoint of an ascending process: The government's collapse was the climax of a series of constitutional crises.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
