apex

apex (ˈeɪpɛks)

—n , pl apexes, apices
1.	the highest point; vertex
2.	the pointed end or tip of something
3.	a pinnacle or high point, as of a career, etc
4.	astronomy Also called: solar apex the point on the celestial sphere, lying in the constellation Hercules, towards which the sun appears to move at a velocity of 20 kilometres per second relative to the nearest stars

[C17: from Latin: point]

APEX (ˈeɪpɛks)

—*n acronym for*
1.	Advance Purchase Excursion: a reduced airline or long-distance rail fare that must be paid a specified number of days in advance
2.	(in Britain) Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical, and Computer Staff

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

apex

c.1600, from L. apex "summit, peak, tip;" probably related to apere "to fasten, fix," hence "the tip of anything" (one of the meanings in L. was "small rod at the top of the flamen's cap"). Proper plural is apices.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

apex a·pex (ā'pěks)
n. pl. a·pex·es or a·pi·ces (ā'pĭ-sēz', āp'ĭ-)
The pointed end of a conical or pyramidal structure.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

apex

(ā'pěks) Pronunciation Key
The highest point, especially the vertex of a triangle, cone, or pyramid.

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

APEX
Arctic Polynya Experiment

Example sentences

He sits under a white domed roof, with a swirling symbol of the sun at its apex.

The shower lasts for about two weeks, reaching its apex over the next few

nights.

Adult alligators are apex predators critical to the biodiversity of their

habitat.

They are curved, being blunt at the apex and sharp in the crescent.

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anacrogynous apical meristem apices apico- biprism broken pediment

Matching Quote

"Between a sign and the thing it signifies there is the fixed, determined relationship of cause and effect. We see this in the case of the footprint in the sand, the tear on the eyelash, or the trademark of a commercial product. But no matter how closely tied a symbol is to the thing symbolized, the relation is variable, flexible, and free. It is in poetry, however, that the symbolic value of words reaches its apex. The cross has become the symbol of Christianity not because of its form but because the Christians, following St. Paul, at a definite moment in their history, decided to adopt the instrument of Christ's torture as their emblem. Similarly, the relation between a word and its meaning depends on its origin, its history, and its usage."

-Nicola Charomonte