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Culminate

//ˈkʌl.məˌneɪt// adj, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Relating to the culmen. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Growing upward, as opposed to lateral growth. not-comparable
Verb
  1. 1
    Of a heavenly body, to be at the highest point, reach its greatest altitude. intransitive
  2. 2
    rise to, or form, a summit wordnet
  3. 3
    To reach the (physical or figurative) summit, highest point, peak etc. intransitive

    "As when his beams at noon / Culminate from the equator."

  4. 4
    bring to a head or to the highest point wordnet
  5. 5
    To reach a climax; to come to a decisive point, especially an end or conclusion. figuratively, intransitive

    "Their messy breakup culminated in a restraining order."

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage wordnet
  2. 7
    To reach a point at which continued progress is not possible. US

    "Approaching from the south on foot, elements of the CG battalion were first to come into contact and their attack culminated because the rate and accuracy of the VC small arms fire. The CG battalions attempted two assaults to penetrate[…]"

  3. 8
    reach the highest altitude or the meridian, of a celestial body wordnet
  4. 9
    To finalize, bring to a conclusion, form the climax of. transitive

    "I would like to know if there are any true moralists who would like to correspond with someone who just instinctively feels there's something wrong somewhere in this unbenevolent world and wants to save it by culminating love and eradicating the captive emotions of the self (Ego)."

  5. 10
    reach the highest or most decisive point wordnet

Etymology

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, the highest point”), 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.

Etymology 2

First attested in 1846; borrowed from Medieval Latin culminātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

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