Consummation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of completing or fulfilling something, especially a marriage through sexual union or the final achievement of a long-desired goal
2. The process of bringing something to completion or fulfillment, often associated with the final act in a marriage or reaching a long-awaited objective
3. The culmination of actions resulting in completion, particularly in relation to the finalization of a marital relationship or achieving a significant aim

Etymology: Latin "summa" meant "sum" or "total," and the verb "consummare" built on it meant to bring something to its complete total, to bring to a close. "Consummatio" was the noun of that action: the act of finishing something off entirely. The Latin word passed into English as a borrowing, so its core meaning of bringing a thing to its full completion arrived intact before the word acquired its later romantic sense. The "con-" prefix is the intensifying form of "com-" ("together, thoroughly"), so the word stresses total completion rather than simply ending. "Summa" itself traces back to the same root that gave English "summit," the highest point, which helps explain why the idea of reaching a peak sits at the heart of the word.

Synonyms: completion, fulfillment

Antonyms: incompletion