culmination

cŏlŭmen, ĭnis, n., and contr. cul-men, mis, n. [root cel- of excello; cf.: celsus, culmus, calamus, collis], lit., that which rises in height, is prominent, projects; hence the point, top, summit, ridge.

Form columen, inis, n. (only this form is used by Plautus, v. Ritschl, prol. ad Plaut. p. 65).

An elevated object, a pillar, column: ego vitam agam sub altis Phrygiae columinibus, the lofty buildings, or perh. the mountain-heights, Cat. 63, 71 Ellis ad loc.; and of a pillar of fire: Phoebi fax, tristis nunt a belli, quae magnum ad columen flammato ardore volabat, like an ascending column, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 11, 18.—

The highest part or top of an object, e. g. of a wall; the coping; Fr. le chaperon, Cato, R. R. 15, 1; of a building, a ridge, a roof, a gable:

in turribus et columinibus villae,

Varr. R. R. 3, 7, 1:

aulae,

Sen. Herc. Fur. 1000; id. Thyest. 54 Gron.; so of the Capitol, Cic. poët. Div. 1, 12, 20, and of the culmination of heavenly bodies: oritur Canicula cum Cancro, in columen venit cum Geminis, Nigid. ap. Serv. ad Verg. G. 1, 218. —

Trop., the top, crown, summit, first, chief, the height, etc.:

columen amicorum Antonii, Cotyla Varius,

Cic. Phil. 13, 12, 26:

pars haec vitae jam pridem pervenit ad columen,

Plin. 15, 15, 17, § 57; Col. 3, 4, 3:

audaciae,

the crown of impudence, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 211.—

An elevated object that supports, sustains something; in archit., the top of a gable-end, a gable pillar, a prop, Vitr. 4, 2, 1; 4, 7, 5.—Esp. freq.,

Trop., a support, prop, stay:

familiae,

Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 57; Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 76, § 176:

senati, praesidium popli,

Plaut. Cas. 3, 2, 6; cf. id. Ep. 2, 2, 7:

rei publicae,

Cic. Sest. 8, 19; Curt. 9, 6, 8:

imperii Romani, Div 38, 51, 3: regni Ausonii,

Sil. 15, 385:

Asiae,

Sen. Troad. 6:

rerum mearum (Maecenas),

Hor. C. 2, 17, 4:

doctrinarum, artium (Varro et Nigidius),

Gell. 19, 14, 1; Col. 3, 4, 3.—

culmen, ĭnis, n. (in Cic. only once; cf. the foll. B.; not in Cat., Lucr., or Hor.; in gen. first freq. since the Aug. per.).

Any thing high; poet., of the stalk of a bean, Ov. F. 4, 734.—

The top, summit, e. g. of a building, a roof, gable, cupola, etc.:

columen in summo fastigio culminis,

Vitr. 4, 2, 1; Ov. M. 1, 295; 1, 289; Verg. E. 1, 69:

tecta domorum,

id. A. 2, 446; 2, 458; 4, 186:

culmina hominum, deorum,

i. e. of houses and temples, id. ib. 4, 671; Liv. 27, 4, 11; 42, 3, 7.—Of the dome of heaven, * Cic. Arat. 26. —Of mountain summits:

Alpium,

Caes. B. G. 3, 2:

Tarpeium,

Suet. Dom. 23.—Of the crown of the head of men, Liv. 1, 34, 9.—Of the top of the prow of a ship, Luc. 3, 709.—

Trop., the summit, acme, height, point of culmination (perh. not ante-Aug.):

a summo culmine fortunae ad ultimum finem,

Liv. 45, 9, 7:

principium culmenque (columenque, Sillig) omnium rerum pretii margaritae tenent,

Plin. 9, 35, 54, § 106:

ruit alta a culmine Troja,

Verg. A. 2, 290 (Hom. Il. 13, 772: kat akrês); cf. id. ib. 2, 603:

de summo culmine lapsus,

Luc. 8, 8:

regale,

Claud. VI. Cons. Hon. 64. pastorale, id. B. Get. 355:

honoris,

App. Flor. 3.

* * *

praeceps, cĭpĭtis (old form praecĭ-pes, cĭpis, Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 8; id. et Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 725 P. (Ann. v. 391 Vahl.; abl. praecipiti), adj. [prae-caput].

Lit., headforemost, headlong (class.):

praecipitem trahi,

Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 79:

aliquem praecipitem deicere,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 86:

praeceps ad terram datus,

dashed to the ground, Liv. 31, 37:

praeceps curru ab alto Desilit,

Ov. M. 12, 128:

hic se praecipitem tecto dedit,

threw himself headlong from the roof, Hor. S. 1, 2, 41:

aliquem in praeceps jacere,

headlong, Tac. A. 4, 22; so,

jacto in praeceps corpore,

id. ib. 6, 49; cf.:

in praeceps deferri,

Liv. 5, 47.—For in praeceps, in late Lat., per praeceps occurs:

abiit grex per praeceps in mare,

Vulg. Matt. 8, 32; id. Judic. 5, 22.—Hence, of one going rapidly, headforemost, headlong:

de ponte Ire praecipitem in lutum per caputque pedesque,

Cat. 17, 9:

se jacere praecipitem e vertice,

id. 63, 244; Verg. A. 5, 860:

ab equo praeceps decidit,

Ov. Ib. 259:

(apes) praecipites Cadunt,

Verg. G. 4, 80:

aliquem praecipitem agere,

to drive headlong, Cic. Caecin. 21, 60; Verg. A. 5, 456:

praecipites se fugae mandabant,

Caes. B. G. 2, 24:

Monoeten In mare praecipitem deturbat,

Verg. A. 5, 175; cf.:

praeceps amensque cucurri,

Ov. M. 7, 844:

praeceps Fertur,

is borne headlong, rushes, Hor. S. 1, 4, 30:

nuntii,

Tac. H. 2, 6.—

Transf., of inanim. things.

Of localities, qs. that descend suddenly in front, i. e. downhill, steep, precipitous:

in declivi ac praecipiti loco,

Caes. B. G. 4, 33:

via (opp. plana),

Cic. Fl. 42, 105:

saxa,

Liv. 38, 23:

fossae,

Ov. M. 1, 97; Verg. A. 11, 888:

iter,

Ov. Tr. 4, 3, 74; cf.

trop.: iter ad malum praeceps ac lubricum,

Cic. Rep. 1, 28, 44:

loci,

Col. 1, 2:

mons,

Plin. Pan. 16.—

Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n., a steep place, a precipice:

turrim in praecipiti stantem,

Verg. A. 2, 460:

specus vasto in praeceps hiatu,

Plin. 2, 45, 44, § 115:

in praeceps pervenitur,

Vell. 2, 3, 4:

immane,

Juv. 10, 107:

altissimum,

App. M. 4, p. 144 med. —In plur.:

in praecipitia cursus iste deducit,

Sen. Ep. 8, 4.—

Sinking, declining:

(in vitibus) praecipites palmites dicuntur, qui de hornotinis virgis enati in duro alligantur,

Col. 5, 6, 33:

sol Praecipitem lavit aequore currum,

Verg. G. 3, 359:

jam praeceps in occasum sol erat,

Liv. 10, 42:

dies,

id. 4, 9; cf.:

senectus,

Curt. 6, 5, 3. —

In gen., swift, rapid, rushing, violent ( poet.;

syn.: celer, velox): praeceps Anio,

Hor. C. 1, 7, 13:

Boreas,

Ov. M. 2, 185:

nox,

fleeting, transient, id. ib. 9, 485:

procella,

Stat. Th. 5, 419:

oceani fragor,

Val. Fl. 3, 404:

letum,

Sen. Hippol. 262:

remedium,

Curt. 3, 6, 2.—

Trop., headlong, hasty, rash, precipitate.

In gen. (class.):

noster erus, qui scelestus sacerdotem anum praecipes Reppulit,

Plaut. Rud. 3, 3, 10:

sol jam praecipitans me quoque haec praecipitem paene evolvere coëgit,

almost headlong, precipitately, Cic. de Or. 3, 55, 209:

agunt eum praecipitem poenae civium Romanorum,

chase, pursue, id. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 7:

praecipitem amicum ferri sinere,

to rush into the abyss, id. Lael. 24, 89:

quoniam ab inimicis praeceps agor,

am pursued, Sall. C. 31, 9:

praeceps celeritas dicendi,

Cic. Fl. 20, 48: profectio, Att. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 10, 6: occumbunt multi letum... praecipe cursu, in rapid destruction, Enn. l. l.—With gen.:

SI NON FATORVM PRAECEPS HIC MORTIS OBISSET,

sudden as regards fate, Inscr. Grut. 695, 9, emended by Minervini in Bullet. Arch. Napol. III. 1845, p. 41 (but Minervini's assumption of a new adj., praeceps, from praecipio, anticipating fale, is unnecessary).—

In partic.

Rash, hasty, inconsiderate:

homo in omnibus consiliis praeceps,

Cic. Phil. 5, 13, 37: praeceps et effrenata mens, id. Cael. 15, 35:

praeceps consilium et immaturum,

Suet. Aug. 8:

cogitatio,

id. Calig. 48:

audacia,

Val. Max. 1, 6, 7.—

Inclined to any thing:

praeceps in avaritiam et crudelitatem animus,

Liv. 26, 38:

praeceps ingenio in iram,

id. 23, 7:

animus ad flagitia praeceps,

Tac. A. 16, 21.—

Dangerous, hazardous, critical:

in tam praecipiti tempore,

Ov. F. 2, 400.—Hence,

Subst.: praeceps, cĭpĭtis, n.

Great danger, extremity, extreme danger, critical circumstances:

se et prope rem publicam in praeceps dederat,

brought into extreme danger, Liv. 27, 27:

levare Aegrum ex praecipiti,

Hor. S. 2, 3, 292:

aeger est in praecipiti,

Cels. 2, 6.—

The highest part, summit, sublimity (postAug.):

omne in praecipiti vitium stetit,

at its point of culmination, Juv. 1, 149:

debet orator erigi, attolli, efferri, ac saepe accedere ad praeceps,

to verge on the sublime, Plin. Ep. 9, 26, 2.—Hence, adv.: prae-ceps, headlong.

Lit.:

aliquem praeceps trahere,

Tac. A. 4, 62:

ex his fulgoribus quaedam praeceps eunt, similia prosilientibus stellis,

Sen. Q. N. 1, 15, 2:

moles convulsa dum ruit intus immensam vim mortalium praeceps trahit atque operit,

Tac. A. 4, 62:

toto praeceps se corpore ad undas Misit,

Verg. A. 4, 253.—

Trop.:

eversio rei familiaris dignitatem ac famam praeceps dabat,

brought into danger, Tac. A. 6, 17:

praeceps in exsilium acti,

suddenly, hastily, Amm. 29, 1, 21.

summa, ae, f. (sc. res; old gen. summai, Lucr. 1, 984; 6, 679) [summus, v. superus].

Lit., that which is highest in any thing, the top, summit, surface (postAug. and very rare):

testudines evectae in summā pelagi,

Plin. 9, 10, 12, § 35 (cf. summus, I. s. v. superus).—

Transf., that which is most important or prominent in any thing, the main thing, chief point, principal matter; the sum, height, substance, summit, completion, perfection

In gen.:

leges a me edentur non perfectae... sed ipsae summae rerum atque sententiae,

the main points, chief particulars, Cic. Leg. 2, 7, 18:

cujus rei satis erit summam dixisse,

id. Inv. 1, 20, 28:

ex hac infinitā licentiā haec summa cogitur, ut, etc.,

id. Rep. 1, 43, 67:

lectis rerum summis,

Liv. 40, 29, 11:

haec summa est, hic nostri nuntius esto,

Verg. A. 4, 237:

summa est, si curaveris, ut, etc.,

Cic. Fam. 13, 75, 2:

in hoc summa judicii causaque tota consistit,

id. Quint. 9, 32:

eam ignominiam ad summam universi belli pertinere ratus,

to the issue of the whole war, Liv. 32, 17, 3; cf.:

haec belli summa nefandi,

Verg. A. 12, 572:

solus summam habet hic apud nos,

the first place, pre-eminence, Plaut. Truc. 4, 2, 15:

qui vobis summam ordinis consiliique concedunt,

Cic. Cat. 4, 7, 15:

summam alicui rei dare,

perfection, culmination, Quint. 3, 2, 1: 5, 10, 72; 11, 2, 41; 12, 1, 20: remittendo de summā quisque juris. strict or extreme right, Liv. 4, 43, 11.—

In partic.

Of a reckoning of numbers, the amount, the sum, sum total, including each of the single items, as if counted: quid, tu, inquam, soles, cum rationem a dispensatore accipis, si aera singula probasti, summam, quae ex his confecta sit, non probare? Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 193, 11:

addendo deducendoque videre, quae reliqui summa fiat,

id. Off. 1, 18, 59: Py. Quanta istaec hominum summa est? Ar. Septem milia, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 46:

equitum magno numero ex omni populi summa separato,

Cic. Rep. 2, 22, 39:

subducamus summam,

id. Att. 5, 21, 11:

summam facere,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 53, § 131.—

Of money, a sum, amount.

With pecuniae:

pecuniae summam quantam imperaverit, parum convenit,

Liv. 30, 16, 12:

pecuniae etiam par prope summa fuit,

id. 33, 23, 9:

summa pecuniae signatae fuit talentūm duo milia et sexcenta,

Curt. 3, 13, 16:

accessit ad hanc pecuniae summam sex milia talantum,

id. 5, 6, 10:

pecuniae summa homines movit,

Liv. 22, 61, 1; 38, 11, 8; 40, 46, 16; 42, 62, 14; cf.:

census equestrem Summam nummorum,

Hor. A. P. 384:

ob parvam pecuniae summam erogatam,

Val. Max. 4, 8, 1.—

Without pecuniae:

de summā nihil decedet,

Ter. Ad. 5, 3, 30:

hac summā redempti,

Liv. 32, 17, 2; 22, 61, 2:

Marcellus decem pondo auri et argenti ad summam sestertii decies in aerarium rettulit,

id. 45, 4, 1:

quācumque summā tradet luxuriae domum,

Phaedr. 4, 4, 44;

creditor totius summae,

Quint. 5, 10, 117:

actor summarum,

Suet. Dom. 11.—

Without reference to a count, the sum, the whole:

de summā mali detrahere,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 23, 55:

summa cogitationum mearum omnium,

id. Fam. 1, 9, 10:

meorum maerorum atque amorum summam edictavi tibi,

Plaut. Rud. 1, 2, 2:

ergo ex hac infinita licentiā haec summa cogitur,

Cic. Rep. 1, 43, 67:

proposita vitae ejus velut summa,

Suet. Aug. 9:

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15: summarum summa est aeterna, the sum of all sums, the sum of all things, i. e. the universe, Lucr. 5, 361; so,

summa summarum,

Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 4; Sen. Ep. 40, 13; and: summa summaï, Lucr 6, 679. —

Adverb.

Ad summam, on the whole, generally, in short, in a word:

ille affirmabat... ad summam: non posse istaec sic abire,

Cic. Att. 14, 1, 1; so,

ad summam,

id. ib. 7, 7, 7; id. Off. 1, 42, 149; id. Fam. 14, 14, 2; Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 106, Juv. 3, 79.—

In summā, in all:

Drusus erat de praevaricatione a tribunis aerariis absolutus, in summā quattuor sententiis,

Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 16, 3; Plin. Ep. 1, 22, 6; 2, 11, 25:

in omni summā,

Cic. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 5 —

In summā, at last, finally (post-Aug.):

diu colluctatus est: in summā victus occumbit,

Just. 13, 8, 8; 22, 1, 8; 37, 1, 8.—

Transf., the whole (opp. a part):

magnam res diligentiam requirebat, non in summā exercitus tuenda, sed in singulis militibus conservandis,

Caes. B. G. 6, 34; cf.:

summa exercitus salva,

the main body of the army, id. B. C. 1, 67:

solet quaedam esse partium brevitas, quae longam tamen efficit summam,

Quint. 4, 2, 41:

quaedam partibus blandiuntur, sed in summam non consentiunt,

id. 4, 2, 90.—

That which relates to the whole, as opp. to a part; with gen., the general, supreme:

(Remi dicebant) ad hunc (regem) totius belli summam omnium voluntate deferri,

the command in chief, Caes. B. G. 2, 4:

neque de summā belli suum judicium sed imperatoris esse,

id. ib. 1, 41:

cum penes unum est omnium summa rerum, regem illum unum vocamus,

authority over all affairs, the supreme power, Cic. Rep. 1, 26, 42:

is, qui summam rerum administrabat,

id. Rosc. Am. 32, 91:

ad te summa solum, Phormio, rerum redit,

Ter. Phorm. 2, 2, 3:

ad summam rerum consulere,

for the general interest, Caes. B. C. 3, 51:

ad discrimen summa rerum adducta,

to a general engagement, Liv. 10, 27:

discrimen summae rerum,

id. 10, 14:

quos penes summam consilii voluit esse, cum imperii summam rex teneret,

the sole command, Cic. Rep. 2, 28, 51; cf.:

qui vobis summam ordinis consiliique concedunt,

id. Cat. 4, 7, 15:

imperii,

Caes. B. G. 2, 23; id. B. C. 3, 5:

quod penes eos (Bituriges), si id oppidum retinuissent, summam victoriae constare intellegebant,

the whole credit of the victory, id. B. G. 7, 21; so, victoriae, id. B. C. 1, 82.— Poet.:

summa ducum, Atri des,

Ov. Am. 1, 9, 37.