pinnacle

pinnacle
/pin"euh keuhl/, n., v., pinnacled, pinnacling.
n.
1. a lofty peak.
2. the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.: the pinnacle of one's career.
3. any pointed, towering part or formation, as of rock.
4. Archit. a relatively small, upright structure, commonly terminating in a gable, a pyramid, or a cone, rising above the roof or coping of a building, or capping a tower, buttress, or other projecting architectural member. See illus. under imbrication.
v.t.
5. to place on or as on a pinnacle.
6. to form a pinnacle on; crown.
[1300-50; ME pinacle < MF < LL pinnaculum gable, equiv. to L pinn(a) raised part of a parapet, lit., wing, feather (see PINNA) + -aculum; see TABERNACLE]
Syn. 2. apex, acme, summit, zenith. 3. needle.
Ant. 2. base.

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      in architecture, vertical ornament of pyramidal or conical shape, crowning a buttress, spire, or other architectural member. A pinnacle is distinguished from a finial by its greater size and complexity and from a tower or spire by its smaller size and subordinate architectural role. A tower may be decorated with pinnacles, each one capped by a finial.

      Simple pinnacles were used on Romanesque churches, especially to mask the abrupt transition from square tower to polygonal spire; but they were far more prominent in developed Gothic architecture and decoration, in which they were used to give vertical emphasis and to break up hard outlines. They appeared at every major corner of a building, flanked gables, and decorated parapets and buttresses. Some of the most striking pinnacles crown the piers of flying buttresses, on which, although primarily decorative, they enhance the stability of the buttresses, helping to counteract the lateral thrust of the vault. The buttress pinnacles around the choir of Notre-Dame at Paris and the magnificent 80-foot (24-metre) pinnacles at Reims Cathedral (13th century) are representative examples.

      In the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, pinnacles were often used in eclectic architecture. Notable examples include London's Houses of Parliament (begun 1840) and the Woolworth Building in New York City (1913).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Pinnacle — Systems Unternehmensform Kapitalgesellschaft Unternehmenssitz Mount …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • pinnacle — [pin′ə kəl] n. [ME pinacle < MFr < LL(Ec) pinnaculum, dim. L pinna, pinnacle, feather: see PEN2] 1. a small turret or spire on a buttress or a supporting pier 2. a pointed formation, as at the top of a mountain; peak 3. the highest point;… …   English World dictionary

  • Pinnacle — (Dinner Plain,Австралия) Категория отеля: Адрес: 1932 Tower Road, 3898 Dinner Plain, Австр …   Каталог отелей

  • Pinnacle — Pin na*cle, n. [OE. pinacle, F. pinacle, L. pinnaculum, fr. pinna pinnacle, feather. See {Pin} a peg.] 1. (Arch.) An architectural member, upright, and generally ending in a small spire, used to finish a buttress, to constitute a part in a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pinnacle — Pin na*cle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pinnacled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Pinnacling}.] To build or furnish with a pinnacle or pinnacles. T. Warton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pinnacle — I noun acme, apex, apogee, cap, ceiling, climax, consummation, crest, crown, crowning point, culmination, extremity, head, height, highest degree, highest point, meridian, peak, point, summit, tip, top, upper extremity, utmost extent, utmost… …   Law dictionary

  • pinnacle — (n.) c.1300, from O.Fr. pinacle (1261), from L.L. pinnaculum gable, dim. of pinna peak, point, often confused with penna wing, feather. Figurative use is attested from c.1400 …   Etymology dictionary

  • pinnacle — *summit, peak, apex, acme, climax, culmination, meridian, zenith, apogee …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • pinnacle — [n] top, crest acme, apex, apogee, climax, cone, crown, culmination, greatest, height, max*, most*, needle*, obelisk, peak, pyramid, spire, steeple, summit, tops, tower, vertex, zenith; concepts 706,836 Ant. base, bottom, nadir …   New thesaurus

  • pinnacle — ► NOUN 1) a high pointed piece of rock. 2) a small pointed turret built as an ornament on a roof. 3) the most successful point. ORIGIN Latin pinnaculum, from pinna wing, point …   English terms dictionary

  • Pinnacle — Pinnacles Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom.  Pour l’article homophone, voir Pinacle. Pinnacle peut désigner : Pinnacle Airlines, une petite compagnie aérienne américaine,… …   Wikipédia en Français

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