Consummation
Etymology
Anglo-Norman consumatiun, consummacioun, consummaciun, Anglo-Norman and Middle French consummacion, consummation, Middle French consommacion, consommation, consumaçon (French consommation) acme, height, perfection (early 12th century in Anglo-Norman), conclusion, end (of the world) (c1200 in Old French; frequently in theological contexts), action or act of completing, accomplishing, or finishing (second half of the 14th cent., originally with reference to the production of a book), action or act of perfecting (end of the 14th cent.), action or act of consummating a marriage or relationship (1400 or earlier) and its etymon classical Latin consumm{a}ti{o}n-, consumm{a}ti{o} process of adding together, accumulation, total, sum, summary, process of achieving or accomplishing, final result, conclusion, completion, achievement, perfection, acme, action of bringing to perfection, in post-classical Latin also end, death, destruction (Vulgate), end (of the world) (Vulgate)
Definitions
- 1: the act of consummating <the consummation of a contract by mutual signature>; specifically : the consummating of a marriage
- 2: the ultimate end : finish
Example
In his Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, Hegel conceived national spirit as the inescapable “substantial foundation” of a people. This “substantial foundation” was a precondition for education, the further development of consciousness and reflexivity, and the articulation of objective spirit. However, national forms of consciousness and identity were by no means ends in themselves. There is no teleology here and Hegel never implied that the Prussian state marks the final consummation of political history. In fact, Hegel held a contrary and pessimistic position by 1820: that spirit had failed to actualize itself in Germany and that the leading edge of spirit's development lies beyond Europe.
