summa

American  

[soom-uh, suhm-uh] / ˈsʊm ə, ˈsʌm ə /

noun

plural

summae, summas

1. a comprehensive work or series of works covering, synthesizing, or summarizing a particular field or subject.

2. a work or series of works that is a summary of all human knowledge.

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summa British  

/ ˈsʊmɑː /

noun

1. medieval Christianity theol a compendium of theology, philosophy, or canon law, or sometimes of all three together. The Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas, written between 1265 and 1274, was the most famous of all such compendia

2. rare a comprehensive work or survey

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Etymology

Origin of summa

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin; Latin: sum

Compare meaning

How does summa compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Magna vs. summa

Example Sentences

She graduated summa cum laude from Duke University, where she studied public policy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

I spoke with Charlotte Woodward, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and now works as Education Program Associate for National Down Syndrome Society.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2025

She graduated summa cum laude from Michigan, earned her doctoral degree at MIT, where she first started her work on black hole imaging in 2013, then became a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2024

Hanks proved to be the most popular person on stage, posing for selfies with faculty members before the ceremony and giving congratulatory fist bumps to dozens of Harvard students who graduated summa cum laude.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2023

Charlie pulls his grades up and graduates summa cum laude from Harvard.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon