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Pinnacling

 - 3 dictionary results

pin⋅na⋅cle

  [pin-uh-kuhl] noun, verb, -cled, -cling.
Use Pinnacling in a Sentence
–noun
1. a lofty peak.
2. the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.: the pinnacle of one's career.
3. any pointed, towering part or formation, as of rock.
4. Architecture. a relatively small, upright structure, commonly terminating in a gable, a pyramid, or a cone, rising above the roof or coping of a building, or capping a tower, buttress, or other projecting architectural member.
–verb (used with object)
5. to place on or as on a pinnacle.
6. to form a pinnacle on; crown.
Origin:
1300–50; ME pinacle < MF < LL pinnāculum gable, equiv. to L pinn(a) raised part of a parapet, lit., wing, feather (see pinna ) + -āculum; see tabernacle

Synonyms:
2. apex, acme, summit, zenith. 3. needle.

Antonyms:
2. base.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Pinnacling
pin·na·cle   (pĭn'ə-kəl)   
n.  

  1. Architecture A small turret or spire on a roof or buttress.

  2. A tall pointed formation, such as a mountain peak.

  3. The highest point; the culmination. See Synonyms at summit.

tr.v.   pin·na·cled, pin·na·cling, pin·na·cles

  1. To furnish with a pinnacle.

  2. To place on or as if on a pinnacle.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin pinnāculum, diminutive of Latin pinna, feather; see pet- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pinnacle 
c.1300, from O.Fr. pinacle (1261), from L.L. pinnaculum "gable," dim. of pinna "peak, point," often confused with penna "wing, feather." Fig. use is attested from c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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