Acmes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The highest point or peak of something, especially in a process or development
2. a moment of great success or achievement in a particular field or endeavor
3. the culmination of a series of events, leading to the most intense or important part

Etymology: "Acmes" is simply the plural of "acme," so its story is the story of the singular. The singular came into English from Ancient Greek "akmē," which meant "point" or "high point," the sharpest tip of something, such as a blade or a summit. That literal sense of a peak or pinnacle is what the English word carries when it is used for the top of a career or a field of endeavor. The metaphorical jump from a physical summit to a moment of achievement is the core of the word's shift. A person reaching the "acme" of their profession is imagined standing on the highest point of a mountain they have climbed. Plural "acmes" therefore refers to several such peaks, each one a singular high point of success in its own domain.

Synonyms: peaks, summits