culminent

Culminent is an adjective that denotes something having reached its culmination or highest point. In contemporary English, the forms culminant or culminating are preferred; culminent is rare and generally regarded as a historical or less common variant. When used, culminent often signals that a development, event, or phenomenon has arrived at its peak or decisive point.

From Latin culminans, present participle of culminare, meaning to reach a summit, from culmen, summit. The English verb culminate shares the same lineage; culminant and culminent are related adjectives expressing a peak or final stage. Culminent is thus etymologically aligned with the notion of apex.

Usage notes: Because culminant and culminating are standard, culminent tends to appear mainly in older texts, translational work, or as a variant spelling. In scientific, literary, and journalistic settings, writers typically favor culminating or culminant to describe a process that reaches its climax. If clarity is the aim, prefer culminant or culminating; avoid culminent unless quoting a source that uses the form.

Culminent is a rarely used variant; for most readers, the standard forms culminant or culminating are preferred.