ἀκμή

akme

point, edge

Appears 19 times across Aristotle's works.

Frequency by work

Click a work to list every occurrence by Bekker number — each links into the reader.

On the Heavens 4
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Book II 4
Chapter 6 288a13–289a10

288a18
288a19
288a19
288a25
De Anima 3
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Book I 1
Chapter 5 409a31–411b30

411a30
Book III 2
Chapter 9 432a15–433a8

432b24

Chapter 12 434a22–435a10

434a24
On Colours 2
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Chapter 6 797a33–799b20

798b24
798b33
Generation of Animals 2
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Book IV 2
Chapter 6 774b5–775b24

775a13
775a19
History of Animals 2
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Book VI 1
Chapter 21 575a13–575b20

575a19
Book VII 1
Chapter 3 583a14–583b28

583b27
Rhetoric 2
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Book II 1
Chapter 12 1388b31–1389b12

1388b36
Book III 1
Chapter 11 1411b22–1413b2

1411b28
De Mundo 1
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Chapter 6 397b7–401a11

399a29
On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 1
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Chapter 24 479a29–479b7

479a32
Meteorology 1
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Book I 1
Chapter 14 351a19–353a28

351a28
Politics 1
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Book VII 1
Chapter 16 1334b29–1336a2

1335b32

Dictionary (LSJ)

ἀκμή, ἡ, (cf. ἀκή A) A. point, edge: prov., ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἀκμῆς on the razorʼs edge (v. sub ξυρόν); ἀ. φασγάνου, ὅπλων, Pi. P. 9.81, Plb. 15.16.3 (pl.); ὀδόντων Pi. N. 4.63, etc.; λόγχης ἀκμή E. Supp. 318; κερκίδων ἀκμαί S. Ant. 976; ἀμφιδέξιοι ἀ. both hands, Id. OT 1243; ποδοῖν ἀ. feet, ib.1034; ἔμπυροι ἀκμαί pointed flames, E. Ph. 1255, cf. πυρὸς ἀκμαί Epicr. 6 codd. II. highest or culminating point of anything, flower, prime, zenith, esp. of manʼs age, ἀκμὴ ἥβης S. OT 741; ἐν τῇδε τοῦ κάλλους ἀκμῇ Cratin. 195; σώματός τε καὶ φρονήσεως Pl. R. 461a; μέτριος χρόνος ἀκμῆς 460e; ὀξυτάτη δρόμου ἀ. ibid.; ἀ. βίου X. Cyr. 7.2.20, etc.; ἐν ταύταις ταῖς ἀ. Isoc. 7.37; ἐν ἀκμῇ εἶναι, of corn, to be ripe, Th. 4.2; ἀκμὴν ἔχειν τῆς ἄνθης Pl. Phdr. 230b; τοσοῦτον τῆς ἀ. ὑστερῶν Isoc. Ep. 6.4; τῆς ἀ. λήγειν begin to decline, Pl. Smp. 219a:—in various relations, ἀ. ἦρος spring-prime, Pi. P. 4.64; ἀ. θέρους mid-summer, X. HG 5.3.19; βραχεῖα ἀ. πληρώματος Th. 7.14; ἀ. τοῦ ναυτικοῦ flower of their navy, Id. 8.46; ἀ. τῆς δόξης Id. 2.42; ἡ ἀ. τῆς Σπάρτης, τῶν νέων Demad. 12; ἀ. νούσου crisis of disease, Hp. Acut. 38:—generally, strength, vigour, ἐν χερὸς ἀκμᾷ Pi. O. 2.63, cf. A. Pers. 1060; ἀ. ποδῶν swiftness, Pi. I. 8(7).41, cf. A. Eu. 370; φρενῶν Pi. N. 3.39; συμπεσεῖν ἀκμᾷ βαρύς cj. Id. I. 4(3).51: periphr. like βία, ἀκμὴ Θησειδᾶν S. OC 1066. 2. Rhet., ἀκμὴ λόγου supreme effort, culmination, climax, Hermog. Inv. 4.4, Id. 1.10; pl., ib.11, cf. Philostr. VS 1.25.7. III. of Time, like καιρός, the time, i. e. best, most fitting time, freq. in Trag., ἡνίκʼ ἂν δὴ πρὸς γάμων ἥκητʼ ἀκμάς S. OT 1492; ἔργων, λόγων, ἕδρας ἀκμή time for doing, speaking, sitting still, Id. El. 22, Ph. 12, Aj. 811: c. inf., κοὐκέτʼ ἦν μέλλειν ἀ. A. Pers. 407, cf.Ag. 1353; ἀπηλλάχθαι δʼ ἀ. S. El. 1338; σοὶ . . ἀ. φιλοσοφεῖν Isoc. 1.3; ὁ καιρὸς ἔστʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀκμῆς Ar. Pl. 256; ἐπʼ ἀκμῆς εἶναι, c. inf., to be on point of doing, E. Hel. 897; εἰς ἀκμὴν ἐλθὼν φίλοις in the nick of time, E. HF 532; ἐπʼ αὐτὴν ἥκει τὴν ἀκμήν it is come to the critical time, D. 4.41; ἀκμὴν εἴληφεν have reached a critical moment, Isoc. Ep. 1.1, cf. Plu. Sol. 12, 15, 2.656f. IV. eruption on face, Cass. Pr. 13, Aët. 7.110, 8.13 (f.l. ἀκνάς, whence mod. acne). ἄκμη, v. ἄκμηνος.

Key passages & sense analysis (Bonitz)

Index Aristotelicus. Hermann Bonitz's sense-by-sense analysis of ἀκμή — with the passages he singles out as decisive for each meaning — will appear here. That curated, interpretive selection is the layer LSJ and a raw concordance don't provide. Digitisation in progress; this entry is not yet available.

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