ἀκμή

English (LSJ)

ἡ, (cf. ἀκή A)

   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 futing 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.    IV eruption on face, Cass.Pr.13, Aët.7.110, 8.13 (f.l. ἀκνάς, whence mod. acne). ἄκμη, v. ἄκμηνος.

German (Pape)

[Seite 74] ἡ (ἀκή, acies), 1) die Spitze, Schärfe; ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἀκμῆς, sprichw., auf der Schärfe des Scheermessers, im entscheidenden Moment, Il. 10, 173 νῦν γὰρ δη πάντεσσιν ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἵσταται ἀκμῆς ἢ μάλα λυγρὸς ὄλεθρος Ἀχαιοῖς ἠὲ βιῶναι (ἅπαξ εἰρημ.); Ariston. Scholl. ἡ διπλῆ, ὅτι ἀντὶ τοῦ τὰ πράγματα ἡμῶν τριχὸς ἤρτηται, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν ἐσχάτῳ κινδύνῳ ἐστὶν καὶ ἐπὶ ὀξύτητος κινδύνων, μεταφορικῶς; – ἐπὶ ξ. ἀκ. ἔχεσθαι Her. 6, 11; Theogn. 557; ἀκμη κερκίδων Soph. Ant. 964; βελέων Phil. 1036; φασγάνων Eur. Or. 1469; Pind. P. 9, 84; ἔγχεος N. 6, 54, λόγχας 10, 60; Eur. Suppl. 316; Plut. Aemil. 19; ὅπλων Pol. 15, 16, 3; τριαίνης Luc. merc. cond. 3. Von den Extremitäten des Körpers, ποδῶν ἀκμαί Soph. O. R. 1034; κεράτων Ael. H. A. 10, 10; Soph. sagt sogar ἀμφιδέξιοι ἀκμαί, die Spitzen beider Hände, O. R. 1243. Bei Eur. Bacch. 1159 sind ἔμπυροι ἀκμαί Flammenspitzen. – 2) die höchste Blüthe u. Kraft, ἥβης Soph. O. R. 741; ἰσχύος Pind. Ol. 1, 96; τῶν νέων Ar. Eccl. 720; σώματος Plat. Rep. V, 461 a; ἄνθης Phaedr. 230 d; βίου Xen. Cyr. 7, 2, 20. Dah. οἱ ἐν ἀκμ ῇ, die im besten Jünglingsalter, Pol. 6, 37, 9; ἀνὴρ ἀνθοῦσαν ἀκμὴν ἔχων Isocr. 5, 10; ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἀκμαῖς, entgegengesetzt dem παῖδες ὄντες, 7, 57. Uebh. Kraft, χερῶν Aesch. Pers. 1017; vgl. Pind. Ol. 2, 69; δεινὰ Θησειδᾶν ἀκμή Soph. O. C. 1068; τοῦ ναυτικοῦ Thuc. 8, 46; ὀλίγη ἀκμὴ πληρώματος 7, 14, wenige kräftige Mannschaft auf den Schiffen; πρὶν τὸν σῖτον ἐν ἀκμῇ εἶναι, ehe das Getreide reif war; ἀκμ ή θέρους Xen. Hell. 5, 3, 19, Hochsommer; ἦρος Pind. P. 4, 64; χειμῶνος Arr. 1, 24, 8. – 3) Die rechte, angemessene Zeit, Plat. Def. 414 a καιρὸς χρόνου ἀκμη πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον; ἢν δ' ὑστερίζῃ τῆς τεταγμένης ἀκμῆς Alex. Ath. IX, 379 c (v. 10); ἀκμή σοι φιλοσοφεῖν Isocr. 1, 3; καιρῶν ἀκμῆς τυχεῖν, den rechten Augenblick treffen, 2, 33; παριέναι, διαφθείρειν Plat. Rep. V, 460 a; Plut. Nic. 14; mit dem inf. Aesch. Pers. 399 Ag. 1326; Soph. El. 1330; ἀκμή ἔργων, rechte Zeit zum Handeln, El. 22; ἕδρας, zum Sitzen, Ai. 798; λόγων Phil. 12; vgl. Ar. Plut. 255; Plut. oft, z. B. πράξεων Nic. 14; εἰς ἀκμὴν ἐλθεῖν. zur rechten Zeit kommen, Eur. Herc. Fur. 526; πρὸς γάμων ἥκειν ἀκμάς, zu dem Punkte kommen, wo man heirathen soll, Soph. O. R. 1492; νῦν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἥκει τὴν ἀκμήν, zum entscheidenden Augenblick, Dem. 4, 41. – 4) der höchste Grad einer Sache, δόξης Thuc. 2, 42; vgl. 7, 14. 8, 46; ὀξυτάτη δρόμου ἀκμή Plat. Rep. V, 460 c; μάχης Plut. Caes. 6; Pind. P. 1, 11 ἐγχέων, Speerkampf; πάθους Luc. Abdic. 16.