To finish means to finish or finish something.
Culminate is a verb that derives from the Latin term culminare , which can be translated as “elevate” or “raise.” In the most literal sense, therefore, the action of culminating consists of reaching the highest place or level to which one can aspire.
Astronomy takes this meaning and speaks of the culmination of some star when it crosses the celestial meridian . In other words, at its culmination, the star passes over the observer and reaches its maximum height with respect to his eyes.
Finish how to finish
There is, however, a much more frequent and everyday use of the notion of culminating. It is possible to use the concept to name the completion or conclusion of an activity . For example: “I am going to conclude my book on Spanish football with a chapter dedicated to Andrés Iniesta” , “The boxer wanted to end the fight with a blow to his rival's jaw and he succeeded” , “The most serious social problems of this country will end when the rulers stop stealing.”
Within the field of education it can also be said that the use of the term culminate is usually used. Specifically, it is used to record that a person has managed to finish a cycle or stage . An example of this could be the following sentence: “Miguel has managed to complete his high school studies, which means that he is now beginning a new direction in his life: university .”
The concept in sport
The culmination can be, therefore, reaching the end of something . It is possible that things end because a certain deadline is met, a result is achieved, etc. Basketball games end when forty minutes of play are completed and the score is not equal. Each tennis set, on the other hand, ends when one of the players wins six games, unless his opponent has won five (in which case, the match is extended).
Likewise, within the field of sports, the word is frequently used to refer to the fact that a mountaineer has managed to reach the summit of a peak that he was climbing. Thus, it is considered that completing an expedition with this objective represents the necessary reward for the effort made and also living an unforgettable experience. All of this without forgetting that, in the same way, it makes you face new challenges and be aware that when you want to achieve something you have to "give your all" to achieve it.
This concept is also used in cycling. An expression that can record this is the following: “Óscar managed to win the last round of the Tour de France after completing an epic comeback in the most complicated and toughest climb in the competition.”
The action of culminating is important in music.
Culminate in music
In musical theory, the end of a piece is associated with a series of technical concepts that collaborate with the closure of the tension generated throughout it. The most prominent term when completing a work is cadence , which can be understood in two ways:
- First of all, it is a series of chords that resolves a work or a section of it, and that generally leads to the so-called tonic chord (the main one).
- In singing, especially in opera, it is a space prior to the end in which singers can improvise or interpret a melody slightly detached from the rest of the composition, with a very particular character, which usually serves as a brief review of the themes. main chords to then reach the dominant chord and finally resolve along with the rest of the instruments .
Just as completing a job is essential for all the effort and dedication put into it to have made sense, or completing a learning process is necessary to acquire every last concept that is part of the program and be ready to put it into practice, in In music, it is very important to respect the end of a work, as much as the rest of its parts, since in its last bars the ideas are closed and the message that the composer wanted to express to his listeners is completed.
That is why the work of a musician includes conserving a percentage of his energy until the last second, to execute the end of a piece with respect and responsibility, and for that it is necessary to train and acquire technical tools that help him make good use of it. efficient of your body. As far as the public is concerned, they must allow the performer to complete their works before applauding or making any type of response; However, this does not usually happen in popular music, and often results in certain nuances being lost due to noise.
symbolic use of the notion
It should be noted that the culmination can also be symbolic, when a subject reaches an objective or goal : “Winning that tournament was the culmination of my career, although then I continued competing for several more months.”
It must be stated that, although culminate and finish are considered synonymous by the vast majority, there are those who consider that there is a difference between both verbs. Thus they show that the one we are dealing with has a nuance of excellence.