I. ˈpā-ˌȯf noun
Date: 1905
1.
a. : profit , reward
b. : retribution
2. : the act or occasion of receiving money or material gain especially as compensation or as a bribe
3. : the climax of an incident or enterprise ; specifically : the denouement of a narrative
4. : a decisive fact or factor resolving a situation or bringing about a definitive conclusion
II. adjective
Date: 1932
: yielding results in the final test : decisive