I. ˈsə-mət noun
Etymology: Middle English somete, from Anglo-French sumet, diminutive of sum top, from Latin summum, neuter of summus highest — more at sum
Date: 15th century
1. : top , apex ; especially : the highest point : peak
2. : the topmost level attainable
the summit of human fame
3.
a. : the highest level of officials ; especially : the diplomatic level of heads of government
b. : a conference of highest-level officials (as heads of government)
an economic summit
Synonyms:
summit , peak , pinnacle , climax , apex , acme , culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable. summit implies the topmost level attainable
at the summit of the Victorian social scene
peak suggests the highest among other high points
an artist working at the peak of her powers
pinnacle suggests a dizzying and often insecure height
the pinnacle of worldly success
climax implies the highest point in an ascending series
the war was the climax to a series of hostile actions
apex implies the point where all ascending lines converge
the apex of Dutch culture
acme implies a level of quality representing the perfection of a thing
a statue that was once deemed the acme of beauty
culmination suggests the outcome of a growth or development representing an attained objective
the culmination of years of effort
II. intransitive verb
Date: 1972
1. : to participate in a summit conference
2. : to climb to the summit
summit ed on May 29