culmination

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French culmination, from culminer, or from Medieval Latin culminatus + -tion. Morphologically culminate +‎ -ion

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌkʌl.məˈneɪ.ʃən/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌkʌl.mɪnˈeɪ.ʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

culmination (countable and uncountable, plural culminations)

1. (astronomy) The attainment of the highest point of altitude reached by a heavenly body; passage across the meridian; transit.
2. (UK) Endpoint (usually good) arrived at after some series of actions or events, or some period , usually after the series or period has ended. The sum of something.
3. (US) Attainment or arrival at the highest pitch of glory, power, etc.
4. (US) A ceremony marking the completion of studies at an elementary school, middle school or junior high school, the term "graduation" being reserved for high school.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:apex

Derived terms

• culmination tunnel

Related terms

• culminate

Translations

astronomy: attainment of the highest point

• Armenian: բարձրակետ (hy) (barjraket), գագաթնակետ (hy) (gagatʿnaket)
• Bulgarian: зенит (bg) m (zenit)
• Finnish: kulminaatio
• German: Gipfelpunkt (de) m
• Greek: μεσημβρινή διάβαση (mesimvriní diávasi)
• Persian: گذر‎ (fa) (gozar), تکبد‎ (takabbod)
• Polish: kulminacja (pl) f
• Russian: кульмина́ция (ru) f (kulʹminácija)
• Turkish: doruk (tr), zirve (tr)
• Ukrainian: кульміна́ція (uk) f (kulʹminácija)

arrival of the highest pitch of glory

• Bulgarian: кулминация (bg) f (kulminacija)
• Finnish: huippu (fi), huipentuma (fi), huippuhetki
• German: Höhepunkt (de) m
• Polish: kulminacja (pl) f
• Russian: кульмина́ция (ru) f (kulʹminácija), зени́т (ru) m (zenít)
• Turkish: bitiş (tr), nihayet (tr) (obsolescent), sonuçlanma (tr)

French

Noun

culmination f (plural culminations)

1. culmination

Further reading

• “culmination”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.