Do you know the definition of apex? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word apex, including its definition, usage, word origin, and more!
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Kevin
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August 25, 2021
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What does the word apex mean?
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word apex is a noun that refers to a moment of great success or the highest point or highest part of something – whether hat is the highest point of a roof peak, the natural apex of the seed, the apex of a career, the apex of pandemic lockdowns, the peak of the pyramid, the apex of a hill, the peak of the great recession, the apex of the nucleus, or the apex of the tongue. This can refer to the end of an object at any extreme point. Apex can be made plural by the suffix es or ces to form the related words apexes and apices. The word apex is two syllables – a-pex, and the pronunciation of apex is ˈeɪ pəˌsiz, ˈæp ə-pĕks.
The word apex also has a few less common meanings. It can be used in geometry to refer to the topmost vertex of a cone or pyramid in its conventional orientation – the apex of a triangle is the highest vertex of a triangle. It can also be used in anatomy to refer to a pointed end of something, like the deepest part of a tooth’s root or the lowest part of a human heart. It can be used in botany to refer to the end of a leaf, tip of a petal or similar organ opposed to the end where it is attached to its support. In astronomy, the wor apex is used to refer to a celestial point on the celestial sphere in which the sun in the solar system appears to move relative to nearby fixed stars. It can also refer to the centre of the hilum as the base, and the chalaza as the natural apex of the seed. For example, the constellation Hercules, towards which the sun appears to move at a velocity of 20 kilometres per second relative to the nearest stars. In mining in the United States this refers to the end or edge of a vein nearest the surface. In physics, this refers to the lowest point on a pendant drop of a liquid, and in typography the word apex can refer to a diacritic in classical Latin or Middle Vietnamese that resembles and gave rise to the acute or indicates ŋ͡m, respectively. It can also refer to the top of a flamens cap, who were priests who devoted themselves to serving just one of the many ancient Roman gods.
Many different languages also contain words that mean apex. You may find that many of these translations of apex look and sound similar. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words in different languages have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations for the word apex is provided by Word Sense.
- Catalan: àpex (masc.)
- Dutch: top (masc.), spits (common)
- Telugu: అత్యున్నత, సర్వోన్నత
- Turkish: zirve
- German: Gipfel (masc.)
- Armenian: գագաթ
- Swedish: topp (common), spets (common)
- Spanish: ápice (masc.), cima (fem.)
- Portuguese: topo, cume
- Finnish: huippu
- Romanian: culme
- Arabic: ذروَة
- Galician: ápice (fem.)
- Bulgarian: връх, връхна точка
- Norwegian: topp
- Russian: верши́на (fem.), пик (masc.), вы́сшая то́чка (fem.)
- Maori: akitu
- Ancient Greek: ἄκρον (neut.)
- Italian: apice
- Mandarin: 頂, 顶 (dǐng), 尖 (jiān), 頂點, 顶点 (dǐngdiǎn), 頂端, 顶端 (dǐngduān), 尖端 (jiānduān)
- Greek: κορυφή (fem.)
- French: apex (masc.), sommet (masc.)
What are synonyms and antonyms of apex?
There are many different words that can be used in place of the word apex, called synonyms. Synonyms are words and sometimes phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to avoid repeating yourself as well as expand your English language vocabulary. This list of synonyms of apex is provided by Power Thesaurus.
- mucronation
- head
- aiguille
- conclusion
- capstone
- meridian
- mountaintop
- high-water mark
- brink
- tops
- crowning touch
- extremum
- altitude
- peak
- heights
- angle
- tip
- nib
- coming
- flood tide
- hilltop
- acumination
- high
- summits
- pin point
- noon
- glory
- crowning point
- prickler
- summit
- ridge
- greatest
- solar apex
- fastigium
- tiptop
- tidemark
- utmost
- acicula
- awn
- noontide
- cone
- inselberg
- vertexes
- apices
- top
- end
- orgasm
- corner
- cusp
- acme
- ne plus ultra
- noontime
- apogee
- pinnacle
- height
- tine
- prong
- cap
- vertex
- roof
- spike
- maximum
- heyday
- limit
- crescendo
- watermark
- mount
- peaks
- zenith
- bloom
- culmination
- sharp end
- crest
- climax
- high water mark
- high noon
- crag
- upper limit
- high point
- mucro
- max
- consummation
- edge
- mountain top
- heavens
- spire
- crown
- point
- elevation
- uppermost
- vertices
- capper
- brow
- prime
- highest
- ejaculation
- highest point
- extreme
- extremity
- crowning moment
There are also several words that mean the opposite of apex. These opposite words are known as antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to expand your vocabulary. This list of antonyms of apex is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
- fundus
- decline
- pits
- base
- rock bottom
- at the base
- establishment
- floor
- radix
- initiation
- lowest point
- antapex
- low
- beginning
- mopboard
- home base
- beds
- surface level
- foot back
- dene
- nadir
- plateau
- valley
- bottom
- foot
How can the word apex be used in a sentence?
The word apex (ˈeɪpɛks) can be used in many different ways in American English. Below are several examples of apex to get you started with using this new word.
The association of professional clerical computer staff took a course on Facebook and Twitter and thought they were the apex of tech savvy, but thirteen-year-olds have known more than them for years.
Colorado residents were proponents of reintroduction of the apex predators of wolves into their proper ecosystems in Canada and Mexico.
The ticket price was the apex deal – for their trip to Britain, they made an advance purchase excursion a specified number of days before leaving, and were able to get reduced airline and long-distance rail fare for their trip down the healthy corridor.
Overall, the word apex means a moment of greatest success or the highest point of something.
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