Apex

How to spell apex

4 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce apex

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does apex mean?

1. nounThe highest point, tip, or peak of something, whether physical, structural, or figurative.

Apex in a sentence

• The climbers paused just below the apex of the ridge to check their ropes.

• Winning the national award marked the apex of her long career.

Where does apex come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word was taken directly from Latin, where apex meant the tip, point, or peak of something. In ancient Rome the apex was specifically the small pointed piece of wood or olive twig fixed to the top of a flamen's cap, and from that the sense broadened to any summit or extreme point. English adopted it in the early seventeenth century as a learned term, keeping the Latin spelling and even the unusual Latin plural apices alongside the regular plural apexes. The word never passed through French on its way in, which is why it kept its clean Latin look rather than picking up extra letters. Because it entered as a scholarly borrowing, it stayed close to its origin and has changed very little in meaning: the highest point of anything, whether a mountain, a career, or a geometric figure.

How the word is built

• apex (Latin: the tip, point, or summit)