vrchol

Vrchol is a Czech and Slovak noun meaning peak or summit. It denotes the highest point of a mountain or hill and is also used metaphorically for the apex of a process, a career, or a performance. In everyday language, the word can refer to the top of anything, from a landscape feature to the outcome of a competition.

Etymology and cognates: the term is of Slavic origin, linked to a root meaning top or apex. Related words in other Slavic languages express the same idea, for example Russian vershina and Polish wierzchołek, which share the sense of the highest point or vertex.

Usage and nuances: in Czech and Slovak, vrchol is used in phrases such as vrchol hory (the summit of a mountain) or vrchol kariéry (the peak of a career). The word also appears in geographic descriptions and toponymy to denote hilltops, ridges, or elevated points in the landscape. Metaphorically, it can describe the culmination of efforts, events, or processes.

See also: related terms in Slavic languages that denote extremes or top positions, and general concepts of peak, apex, or vertex in geographic and figurative contexts.