English

Noun

summum bonum ‎(plural summa bona)

1. (philosophy) The greatest good; the ultimate importance, the singular end which human beings ought to pursue.
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York Review of Books, 2001, p.65:

     Our summum bonum is commodity, and the goddess we adore Dea Moneta, Queen Money, to whom we daily offer sacrifice […].

Usage notes

The term is used particularly in medieval philosophy.

See also

• summum bonum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• summum bonum in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Latin

Etymology

From summus ‎(“superaltive of superus”) + bonum ‎(“a moral good”)

Noun

summum bonum

1. (medieval, philosophy) The highest good; an ultimate goal of human existence.