Word of the Day

: September 15, 2008

culminate

verb KUL-muh-nayt

What It Means

1 : to reach its highest altitude; also : to be directly overhead

2 : to rise to or form a summit

3 : to reach the highest or a climactic or decisive point

culminate in Context

Weeks of civil unrest culminated in a protest march of over 25,000 people in the capital square.

Did You Know?

"Culminate" was first used in English in the 17th century, in the field of astronomy. When a star or other heavenly body culminates, it reaches the point at which it is highest above the horizon from the vantage point of an observer on the ground. The word derives from the past participle of the Medieval Latin verb "culminare," meaning "to crown," and ultimately from the Latin noun "culmen," meaning "top." As something culminates it rises toward a peak. These days the word is most familiar to English speakers in its figurative usage, meaning "to reach a climactic or decisive point."