Max″i‐mum (?), n.; pl.Maxima (#). [L., neut. from maximus the greatest. See Maxim.] The greatest quantity or value attainable in a given case; or, the greatest value attained by a quantity which first increases and then begins to decrease; the highest point or degree; — opposed to minimum.
Good legislation is the art of conducting a nation to the maximum of happiness, and the minimum of misery. P. Colquhoun.
Maximum thermometer, a thermometer that registers the highest degree of temperature attained in a given time, or since its last adjustment.