Afterpeak

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The time or phase that comes immediately after the highest point or maximum level has been reached
2. A stage following the peak moment when values, activity, or intensity begin to decline
3. The interval after the summit or climax of an event or condition when things start to decrease

Etymology: "Afterpeak" is a straightforward compound, built by joining the prefix "after-" to the noun "peak." The "peak" half comes from Middle English, where it was used for the pointed top of a mountain or hill, and the "after" half descends from Old English "æfter," meaning behind or following in time or place. Put together, the word describes whatever follows directly on the heels of a top point. The combination feels fresh because "peak" is so often used in the abstract sense of a maximum, as in peak season or peak performance. Attaching "after-" simply moves the reader's attention from the highest moment to the stretch that comes next, in the same way that "afterglow" or "aftermath" name what follows a light or a battle. The compound is transparent, so the meaning can be worked out from its parts without any special history behind it.