An Apex Was a Priest's Hat Ornament
An apex is the highest point of something. The Latin word named the tip on a Roman priest's cap.
An apex is the highest point or tip of something. The Latin original was very specific: *apex* named the pointed spike of olive wood on the cap worn by Roman priests, held in place by a tuft of wool. From that one object the word broadened to mean any tip or summit. The plural is *apices* in formal use and *apexes* informally. In geometry the apex is the vertex opposite the base of a triangle or cone.
- The highest point. *The apex of the roof.*
- A summit or peak. *The apex of a career.*
- A geometric vertex. *The apex of the triangle.*
- Apical — of the apex. *Apical.*
- Latin — *apex*, a point. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | apex | The apex. |
| Plural | apexes | Apexes. |
| Plural (Latin) | apices | Apices. |
| Adjective | apical | Apical. |
| Latin | apex | A tip. |
- The apex of the roof leaked.Building.
- The apex of her career.Figurative.
- It named a priest's cap spike.Etymology.
Words for the top
- Apex — the highest point, often geometric
- Summit — the top of a mountain, or a high-level meeting
- Zenith — the point directly overhead, from Arabic
- Pinnacle — a pointed architectural top, then a peak of achievement
- Acme — the highest point of excellence, from Greek
Latin *apex*, the tip or point, originally the spike on a Roman priest's cap.
What did apex originally name?
The pointed olive-wood spike on the cap of a Roman priest, held in place by a tuft of wool.
Apexes or apices?
Both are correct. Apices is the Latin plural used in formal and technical writing; apexes is the ordinary English form.