acme \ac"me\ ([a^]k"m[-e]), n. [Gr. 'akmh` point, top.]
1. The top or highest point; the culmination.
[1913 Webster]
The very acme and pitch of life for epic poetry.
--Pope.
[1913 Webster]
The moment when a certain power reaches the acme of
its supremacy. --I. Taylor.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Med.) The crisis or height of a disease. AS
[1913 Webster]
3. Mature age; full bloom of life. --B. Jonson.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
acme
n 1: the highest level or degree attainable; "his landscapes were
deemed the acme of beauty"; "the artist's gifts are at
their acme"; "at the height of her career"; "the peak of
perfection"; "summer was at its peak"; "...catapulted
Einstein to the pinnacle of fame"; "the summit of his
ambition"; "so many highest superlatives achieved by
man"; "at the top of his profession" [syn: height, elevation,
peak, pinnacle, summit, superlative, top]
2: the highest point (of something); "at the peak of the
pyramid" [syn: vertex, peak, apex]
WordNet (r) 2.0
127 Moby Thesaurus words for "acme":
Olympian heights, acme of perfection, aerial heights, all, apex,
apogee, apotheosis, authority, authorization, be-all and end-all,
beau ideal, best type, blue ribbon, brow, cap, capstone, ceiling,
championship, climax, cloud nine, command, consummation, control,
crest, crown, culmen, culmination, cynosure, directorship,
dizzy heights, dominion, edge, effectiveness, ego ideal, elevation,
eminence, end, ether, extreme, extreme limit, extremity,
first place, first prize, headship, heaven, heavens, hegemony,
height, heights, hero, high noon, highest, highest degree,
highest pitch, highest point, ideal, imperium, influence,
jurisdiction, kingship, last word, leadership, lift, limit,
lordship, management, mastership, mastery, maximum, meridian,
mirror, most, mountaintop, ne plus ultra, new high,
no place higher, noon, nth degree, palms, paragon, paramountcy,
peak, perfection, pink, pink of perfection, pinnacle, pitch, point,
pole, power, presidency, primacy, raise, record, ridge, rise,
rising ground, rule, say, seventh heaven, shining example, sky,
sovereignty, spire, steep, stratosphere, summit, supremacy, sway,
the whole, tip, tip-top, top, top spot, ultimate, upmost,
upper extremity, uppermost, uprise, utmost, utmost extent,
uttermost, vantage ground, vantage point, vertex, very top,
zenith
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
ACME
A Company that Makes Everything (slang)
Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002)
Acme n. [from Greek `akme', highest point of perfection or achievement]
The canonical supplier of bizarre, elaborate, and non-functional
gadgetry - where Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson (two cartoonists who
specialized in elaborate contraptions) shop. The name has been
humorously expanded as A (or American) Company Making Everything. (In
fact, Acme was a real brand sold from Sears Roebuck catalogs in the
early 1900s.) Describing some X as an "Acme X" either means "This is
insanely great", or, more likely, "This looks insanely great on
paper, but in practice it's really easy to shoot yourself in the foot
with it." Compare pistol.
This term, specially cherished by American hackers and explained here
for the benefit of our overseas brethren, comes from the Warner
Brothers' series of "Roadrunner" cartoons. In these cartoons, the
famished Wile E. Coyote was forever attempting to catch up with, trap,
and eat the Roadrunner. His attempts usually involved one or more
high-technology Rube Goldberg devices - rocket jetpacks, catapults,
magnetic traps, high-powered slingshots, etc. These were usually
delivered in large wooden crates labeled prominently with the Acme name
- which, probably not by coincidence, was the trade name of the
animation rotation board used by cartoonists since forever. Acme devices
invariably malfunctioned in improbable and violent ways.
Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)
ACME
/ak'mee/ 1. A Company that Makes Everything.
The canonical imaginary business. Possibly also derived
from the word "acme" meaning "highest point".
2. A program for MS-DOS.
[What does it do?]
(1994-11-08)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)
Acme, LA
Zip code(s): 71316
Acme, PA
Zip code(s): 15610
Acme, WA
Zip code(s): 98220
Acme, WY
Zip code(s): 82839
U.S. Gazetteer (1990)
Acme, WA -- U.S. Census Designated Place in Washington
Population (2000): 263
Housing Units (2000): 88
Land area (2000): 9.805551 sq. miles (25.396260 sq. km)
Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000): 9.805551 sq. miles (25.396260 sq. km)
FIPS code: 00275
Located within: Washington (WA), FIPS 53
Location: 48.715402 N, 122.209954 W
ZIP Codes (1990): 98220
Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Headwords:
Acme, WA
Acme
U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)
acme aircraft co, acme airport, acme anser, acme corporation, acme fresh market, acme market, acme novelty library, acme sportsman, acme thread, acme thread form, apex, ball screw vs. acme thread, elevation, height, peak, pinnacle, rex-acme, summit, superlative, top, vertex
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