v. cul·mi·nat·ed, cul·mi·nat·ing, cul·mi·nates
a. To reach the highest point or degree; climax: habitual antagonism that culminated in open hostility.
b. To come to completion; end: Years of waiting culminated in a tearful reunion.
2. Astronomy To reach the highest point above an observer's horizon. Used of stars and other celestial bodies.
To bring to the point of greatest intensity or to completion; climax: The ceremony culminated a long week of preparation.
[Late Latin culmināre, culmināt-, from Latin culmen, culmin-, summit; see kel-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.