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Origin and history of peak

peak(n.)

1520s, "pointed top, projecting summit," a variant of pike (n.4) "sharp point." Meaning "top of a mountain, a precipitous mountain with a more or less conical summit" is recorded by 1630s, though pike was used in this sense c. 1400. Figurative sense is 1784. Of beards, 1590s; of hats, 1650s. Meaning "point formed by hair on the forehead" is from 1833. As "the highest point" in any varying quantity, or the time when this occurs, by 1902. 

The Peak, the prominent hill in Derbyshire, England, is older than the word for "mountaintop;" compare Old English Peaclond, for the district, Pecsaetan, for the people who settled there, Peaces ærs for Peak Cavern. In this case it is sometimes said to be a reference to an elf-denizen Peac "Puck."

peak(v.)

1570s, "to rise in a peak," from peak (n.). Figurative meaning "reach the highest point" is recorded by 1958. Related: peaked; peaking.

also from 1570s

Entries linking to peak

pike(n.4)

"highway," 1812 shortening of turnpike.

off-peak(adj.)

"that is not at the maximum," 1906, originally in reference to electrical systems, from off- (adj.) (see off (prep.)) + peak (n.).

peaked(adj.)

"sickly-looking; having an unhealthy, emaciated appearance," 1835, from past participle of the obsolete or dialectal verb peak "look sickly or thin, shrink, waste away" (1540s), which is perhaps from peak on the notion of "become pointed" through emaciation. Middle English had also a verb peken "to move dejectedly, slink" (mid-15c.), but the connection is uncertain. Related: Peakedness.

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    point
    c. 1200, pointe, "minute amount, single item in a whole; sharp end of a sword, etc.," a merger of two words, both ultimately from Latin pungere "to prick, pierce," from a nasalized form of PIE root *peuk- "to prick." The Latin neuter past participle punctum was used as a noun, me
    tip
    c. 1300, "to knock down, overturn, topple, knock askew" (transitive), of uncertain origin, possibly from Scandinavian (compare Swedish tippa "to tip, dump"), or from a special use of tip (n.). Intransitive sense of "to fall over, be overturned" is from mid-15c. Related: Tipped; t
    flower
    c. 1200, flour, also flur, flor, floer, floyer, flowre, "the blossom of a plant; a flowering plant," from Old French flor "flower, blossom; heyday, prime; fine flour; elite; innocence, virginity" (12c., Modern French fleur), from Latin florem (nominative flos) "flower" (source of
    pinnacle
    c. 1300, "mountain top, sharp peak, promontory," from Old French pinacle "top, gable" (13c.) and directly from Late Latin...pinnaculum "peak, pinnacle, gable," extended form (via diminutive suffix, but not necessarily implying smallness) of Latin...pinna "peak, point," (see pin (n.))....
    widow
    Widow's peak is from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead is an omen of early widowhood, suggestive of...the "peak" of a widow's hood....
    culmination
    action from past participle stem of Late Latin culminare "to top, to crown," from Latin culmen (genitive culminis) "top, peak...
    acromegaly
    ceased," 1886, from French acromégalie, from medical Latin acromegalia, from Greek akron "extremity, highest point, mountain peak...
    attain
    c. 1300, "succeed in reaching, come so near as to touch," from ataign-, stem of Old French ataindre "to come up to, reach, attain, endeavor, strive" (11c., Modern French atteindre), from Vulgar Latin *attangere, corresponding to Latin attingere "to touch; arrive at," from ad "to"
    acme
    "highest point," 1560s, from Greek akmē "(highest) point, edge; peak of anything," hence "prime (of life, etc.), the best time" (from PIE *ak-ma-, suffixed form of root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce"). In English it was written in Greek letters until c. 1620. The
    mace
    "heavy one-handed metal weapon, often with a spiked head, for striking," c. 1300, from Old French mace "a club, scepter" (Modern French massue), from Vulgar Latin *mattea (source also of Italian mazza, Spanish maza "mace"), from Latin mateola (in Late Latin also matteola) "a kind

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