peak

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A tapering, projecting point; a pointed extremity: the peak of a cap; the peak of a roof.
2. n. The pointed summit of a mountain.
3. n. The mountain itself.
4. n. The point of a beard.
5. n. A widow's peak.
6. n. The point of greatest development, value, or intensity: a novel written at the peak of the writer's career. See Synonyms at summit.
7. n. Physics The highest value attained by a varying quantity: a peak in current.
8. n. Nautical The narrow portion of a ship's hull at the bow or stern.
9. n. Nautical The upper after corner of a fore-and-aft sail.
10. n. Nautical The outermost end of a gaff.
11. v. Nautical To raise (a gaff) above the horizontal.
12. v. To bring to a maximum of development, value, or intensity.
13. v. To be formed into a peak or peaks: Beat the egg whites until they peak.
14. v. To achieve a maximum of development, value, or intensity: Sales tend to peak just before the holidays.
15. adj. Approaching or constituting the maximum: working at peak efficiency.
16. v. To become sickly, emaciated, or pale.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A projecting point; the end of anything that terminates in a point.
2. n. Specifically— A projecting part of a head-covering; the leather vizor projecting in front of a cap.
3. n. The high sharp ridge-bone of the head of a setter-dog.
4. n. Same as pee.
5. n. A precipitous mountain; a mountain with steeply inclined sides, or one which is particularly conspicuous on account of its height above the adjacent region, or because more or less isolated. Those parts of the crest of a mountain-range which rise higher than other parts near them, especially if somewhat precipitous, are often called peaks.
6. n. Nautical: The upper corner of a sail which is extended by a gaff; also, the extremity of the gaff. See cut under gaff.
7. n. The contracted part of a ship's hold at the extremities, for ward or aft. The peak forward is called the forepeak; that aft, the after-peak. Also spelled peek.
8. To rise upward as a peak.
9. Nautical, to raise (a gaff) more obliquely to the mast.
10. To look sickly; be or become emaciated.
11. To make a mean figure; sneak.
12. An obsolete spelling of peek.
13. n. See peag.
14. n. The maximum of a load-curve.
15. n. In mech., a heavy load; the heaviest load (on an engine or generator): so called because a peak or protruding point is formed in the line traced by the point of a recording dynamometer at the time of the heavy load or of a maximum load. See load, 8, and peak-load.
16. n. In turpentining, the angle formed by the meeting of the two streaks on the face.
17. n. [capitalized] A name applied to a village at one of the corners or extreme boundaries of a township: as, Derry Peak, on the eastern boundary of Derry.
18. Pertaining or relating to the high point in the diagram from a recording meter, due to a peak or heavy load. See peak, n., 4 and 5.
19. To accentuate.
20. Of a whale, to raise (the tail or flukes) high in the air when making a perpendicular dive: this act is called by the whalers peaking the flukes. T. Beale, Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale, p. 44.

Wiktionary

1. v. intransitive To become sick or wan.
2. n. A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap.
3. n. The highest value reached by some quantity in a time period.
4. n. geography The top, or one of the tops, of a hill, mountain, or range, ending in a point; often, the whole hill or mountain, especially when isolated; as, the Peak of Teneriffe.
5. n. nautical The upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail; -- used in many combinations; as, peak-halyards, peak-brails, etc.
6. n. nautical The narrow part of a vessel's bow, or the hold within it.
7. n. nautical The extremity of an anchor fluke; the bill.
8. n. mathematics A local maximum of a function, e.g. for sine waves, each point at which the value of y is at its maximum.
9. v. To reach a highest degree or maximum.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point.
2. n. The top, or one of the tops, of a hill, mountain, or range, ending in a point; often, the whole hill or mountain, esp. when isolated.
3. n. The upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail; -- used in many combinations
4. n. The narrow part of a vessel's bow, or the hold within it.
5. n. The extremity of an anchor fluke; the bill.
6. v. To rise or extend into a peak or point; to form, or appear as, a peak.
7. v. To achieve a maximum of numerical value, intensity of activity, popularity, or other characteristic, followed by a decline.
8. v. To acquire sharpness of figure or features; hence, to look thin or sickly.
9. v. archaic To pry; to peep slyly.
10. v. (Naut.) To raise to a position perpendicular, or more nearly so

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
2. n. the top or extreme point of something (usually a mountain or hill)
3. n. the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
4. n. the most extreme possible amount or value
5. v. to reach the highest point; attain maximum intensity, activity
6. n. a V shape
7. n. a brim that projects to the front to shade the eyes
8. n. the highest point (of something)