I.the extreme end, extremity, or point of a thing; the peak, top, utmost point.
I. Lit. (whether horizontal or perpendicular; while culmen is an extremity projecting in height; v. Doed. Syn.; in the poets freq.; in prose rare before the Aug. per.; “not in Cic.): ut altis Arboribus vicina cacumina summa terantur Inter se,” the extreme top, Lucr. 1, 898. —So of tree-tops: “umbrosa cacumina,” Verg. E. 2, 3: “fracta,” id. ib. 9, 9; 6, 28; id. G. 2, 29; 2, 307; Ov. M. 1, 346; 1, 552; 1, 567; 8, 257; 8, 716; 8, 756; 9, 389; 10, 140; 10, 193; 13, 833; 15, 396; Quint. 8, 3, 10; 1, 2, 26: “arborum cacumina,” Plin. 10, 53, 74, § 147: “ficorum, pirorum, malorum,” Col. 3, 21, 11: “olivae,” id. 5, 11, 14 and 15; 11, 3, 37; Pall. Jan. 15, 15; id. Febr. 25, 28; id. Mart. 10, 23; 10, 35; id. Apr. 4, 1; Veg. 4, 4, 9 al.: “harundinis,” Plin. 16, 36, 64, § 158.—Of grass, the points of the blades, Ov. Tr. 3, 12, 12: “praeacutis (ramorum) cacuminibus,” Caes. B. G. 7, 73; Lucr. 6, 459.— Of the summits, peaks of mountains, Liv. 7, 34, 4; Lucr. 6, 464; Cat. 64, 240; Verg. A. 3, 274; Hor. Epod. 16, 28; Ov. M. 1, 310; 1, 317; 1, 666; 6, 311; 8, 797; 7, 804; 9, 93; Luc. 7, 75, Plin. 3, 16, 20, § 117; 6, 7, 7, § 20 al.—Of other things: “pilorum, Auct. B. Afr. 47: atomi,” Lucr. 1, 600: “cujusque rei,” id. 1, 750: “ovi,” Plin. 10, 52, 74, § 145; 10. 54, 75, § “151: metae,” id. 36, 5, 4, § 31: “pyramidis,” id. 36, 12, 17, § 79: “membrorum,” id. 11, 37. 88, § “219: ignis,” Luc. 1, 551: “incurvum, of the elephant's back,” Sil. 9, 584.—
II. Trop.
A. The end, limit: donec alescundi summum tetigere cacumen, until they have completely attained the limit of their growth, Lucr. 2, 1130: “ad summum donec venere cacumen,” to the height of perfection, id. 5, 1456: famae, Laber. ap. Macr. S. 2, 7.—
B. As a gram. t. t., the mark of accent placed over a letter, Mart. Cap. 3, § 273.
