picco

peak, summit

noun PEEK-koh Rare

Also means

spike, sharp point

Usage Note

Picco is used both for a mountain peak and for a sudden spike in data, prices, or graphs. The idiom a picco means 'straight down' or 'steeply' — la nave è andata a picco means 'the ship sank (went straight down)'. The plural is picchi.

Examples

"La temperatura ha raggiunto un picco di quaranta gradi."

Natural Translation

The temperature reached a peak of forty degrees.

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