to the height of perfection

căcūmen, ĭnis, n. [etym. dub.], the extreme end, extremity, or point of a thing; the peak, top, utmost point.

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.—

Trop.

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.—

As a gram. t. t., the mark of accent placed over a letter, Mart. Cap. 3, § 273.

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.