A.point, edge: prov., ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἀκμῆς on the razor's 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.OT1243; ποδοῖν ἀ. feet, ib.1034; ἔμπυροι ἀκμαί pointed flames, E.Ph.1255, cf. “πυρὸς ἀκμαί” Epicr.6codd.
II. highest or culminating point of anything, flower, prime, zenith, esp. of man's age, “ἀκμὴ ἥβης” S.OT741; “ἐντῇδε 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. HG5.3.19; “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.VS1.25.7.
III. of Time, like καιρός, the time, i. e. best, most fitting time, freq. in Trag., “ἡνίκ᾽ ἂν δὴ πρὸς γάμων ἥκητ᾽ ἀκμάς” S.OT1492; ἔργων, λόγων, ἕδρας ἀκμή time for doing, speaking, sitting still, Id.El.22, Ph.12, Aj.811: c. inf., “κοὐκέτ᾽ ἦν μέλλειν ἀ.” A.Pers.407, cf.Ag.1353; “ἀπηλλάχθαι δ᾽ ἀ.” S.El.1338; “σοὶ . . ἀ. φιλοσοφεῖν” Isoc.1.3; “ὁ καιρὸς ἔστ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀκμῆς” Ar.Pl.256; ἐπ᾽ ἀκμῆς εἶναι, c. inf., to be on point of doing, E.Hel. 897; εἰς ἀκμὴν ἐλθὼν φίλοις in the nick of time, E.HF532; ἐπ᾽ 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.
