acmes

Noun

acme (plural acmes)

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.
   • 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

   Synonyms:

   apex, zenith, apogee, apotheosis, ascendance, capstone, climax, coronation, crown, culmination

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...
3. (rare) Full bloom or reproductive maturity.
   • He must be one that can instruct your youth,
     And keep your acme in the state of truth1625 (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...
4. (euphemistic) Sexual orgasm.
   • [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.

   Synonyms:

   crisis

See all 19 meanings of acme