Dictionary

acme en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈæk.mi/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point; high point”).

Meanings

1. A high point: the highest point of any range, the most developed stage of any process, or the culmination of any field or historical period.
   • Eum.: Our Loves what are they But howerly Sacrifices, only wanting The prease and tumult of Solemnity? If then i'th' heat and Achme of Devotion We drink a new fiame in, can it be ought But to increase the Worship? 1651, William Cartwright, “The Lady Errant”, in Comedies Tragi-comedies with Other Poems:
   • The moment when a certain power reaches the acme of its supremacy. 1832, [Isaac Taylor], Saturday Evening. […], London: Holdsworth and Ball, →OCLC:
   • Ah, what a sight burst upon our astonished eyes as we gained its summit! It seemed the very acme of mountain glory in all the glories around us. 1891, George Edward Mannering, With Axe and Rope in the New Zealand Alps, Chapter VII, p. 71:
   • The Latin tong, euen whan it was, as the Grecians say, in ακμη, that is, at the hiest pitch of all perfitenesse. 1570, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster, f. 31:
2. A paragon: a person or thing representing such a high point.
   • The few words of advice she gave him as to escaping political embarrassments, struck him as the acme of wisdom, and as indicating an interest in his well-being of the kindest description;... 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 260–261:
3. (rare) Full bloom or reproductive maturity.
   • The very acme and pitch of life for epic poesy. 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:
   • He must be one that can instruct your youth, And keep your acme in the state of truth 1625 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Staple of Newes. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
4. (euphemistic) Sexual orgasm.
   • She has enough of the narcissist in her to love exhibiting herself and to have the exhibition itself arouse her and bring her to her acme (that's very literary, even a little affected, but it's a word that pleases me). 1987, Jeanne de Berg, Women's Rites:
   • He reached a climax about one minute after penetration and as this was always much sooner than his partner reached her acme this disturbed him. 2012, Alexander Lowen, The Language of the Body: Physical Dynamics of Character Structure:
   • [He] then holds back his own climax for another ten or fifteen minutes of active copulation until his mate signals him that she is about to reach her acme; then they both ecstatically erupt together. 1963, Albert Ellis, If This Be Sexual Heresy, page 120:
5. Synonym of crisis, the decisive moment in the course of an illness.
6. (alt-of) Alternative letter-case form of Acme, particularly as a threading format.
   alt of Acme
   alt of particularly as a threading format

Forms

Deriveds

synacme · acmatic · acmic

Synonyms

paroxysm · coronation · ascendance · apotheosis · summit · fastigium · climax · capstone · high-water mark · acme · summa · high tide · Mount Everest · high note · extreme · pinnacle · apex · outblossom · high point · culmination · apogee · perihelion · zenith · crisis · crown · midday

Translations (42)

de Höhepunkt (the highest point) · sa शिरस् (the highest point) · es acmé (the crisis or height of a disease) · it culmine (the highest point) · fr force de l'âge (full bloom) · ota تپه (the highest point) · nl hoogtepunt (the highest point) · uk апоге́й (the highest point) · fi akme (peak of a disease) · cmn 最高峰 (the highest point) · cs špička (the highest point) · it apogeo (full bloom) · ru кульминация (the highest point) · cmn 最高点 (the highest point) · bg връхна точка (the highest point) · ru пик (the highest point) · de Blüte des Lebens (full bloom) · cs vrchol (the highest point) · es acmé (the highest point) · de Gipfel (the highest point) · es apogeo (the highest point) · sv kulmen (the highest point) · cmn 巅峰 (the highest point) · sv kulm (full bloom) · ru расцвет (full bloom) · es cúspide (the highest point) · bg разцвет (full bloom) · uk пік (the highest point) · it acme (the highest point) · ota قمه (the highest point) · ca acme (the highest point) · fr acmé (the highest point) · sv höjdpunkt (the highest point) · is hápunktur (the highest point) · fi huippu (the highest point) · it colmo (full bloom) · fi huippu (peak of a disease) · el απόγειο (the highest point) · fi huippukohta (the highest point) · uk кульмінація (the highest point) · it climax (the highest point) · it apice (the highest point)