Peak
/piːk/noun
The pointed top or highest part of something.
Did you know?“Peak” likely came into English from Middle Dutch/Low German forms for a point or pointed piece, and it originally described an actual sharp tip before it ever meant “highest level.”
Etymological Timeline
Middle Dutch / Middle Low German
MDu/MLG
pēk
“a point, pointed end, or projecting tip”
14th Century
English
peke / peak
“a point or pointed projection”
15th Century
English
peak
“the pointed top of a hill or mountain”
16th-17th Century
English
peak
“the highest or most advanced point of anything”
Modern English
English
peak
“the topmost point, maximum level, or pointed summit”