MAXIMA

MAXIMUM

utmost, uttermost, maximum, level best

(noun) the greatest possible degree; “he tried his utmost”

maximum

(noun) the point on a curve where the tangent changes from positive on the left to negative on the right

maximum, upper limit

(noun) the largest possible quantity

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

maxima (plural maximæ or maximas)

(music) A music note equal to two (or sometimes three) longæ; in modern notation, this is typically equivalent to eight semibreves.

Usage notes

Due to the practices of prolation and mensuration in mediæval and Renaissance music, the precise length of a maxima varies widely, from as short as eight semibreves to as long as twenty-seven. In modern usage, where imperfect prolation is assumed in all cases, a maxima is taken to be worth eight semibreves. See the Wikipedia article on mensural notation for more information.

Synonyms

• larga

• duplex longa

• (American) octuple whole note

Noun

maxima

plural of maximum

Source: Wiktionary


MAXIMUM

Max"i*mum, n.; pl. Maxima. Etym: [L., neut. from maximus the greatest. See Maxim.]

Definition: The greatest quantity or value attainable in a given case; or, the greatest value attained by a quantity which first increases and then begins to decrease; the highest point or degree; -- opposed to Ant: minimum. Good legislation is the art of conducting a nation to the maximum of happiness, and the minimum of misery. P. Colquhoun. Maximum thermometer, a thermometer that registers the highest degree of temperature attained in a given time, or since its last adjustment.

Max"i*mum, a.

Definition: Greatest in quantity or highest in degree attainable or attained; as, a maximum consumption of fuel; maximum pressure; maximum heat.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

12 June 2025

RAREFACTION

(noun) a decrease in the density of something; “a sound wave causes periodic rarefactions in its medium”


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Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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