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summum bonum

American  
[soom-oom boh-noom, suhm-uhm boh-nuhm] / ˈsʊm ʊm ˈboʊ nʊm, ˈsʌm əm ˈboʊ nəm /

noun

Latin.
  1. the highest or chief good.


summum bonum British  
/ ˈsʊmʊm ˈbɒnʊm /

noun

  1. the principle of goodness in which all moral values are included or from which they are derived; highest or supreme good

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

After all, if what is good for a nation is more important than what is good for a family, surely the greatest good, the secular summum bonum, is the good of the human race.

From Salon Aug. 23, 2011

The modern student of monasticism, bred in an age which regards freedom as its summum bonum and holds discipline at a discount, cannot but feel sympathy with the nuns.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen

But material gains may not be the summum bonum of the express business.

From The Express Companies of the United States A Study of a Public Utility by Benedict, Bert

The summum bonum of their desires and aspirations is to pass smoothly and quietly through life.

From The Moral and Intellectual Diversity of Races With Particular Reference to Their Respective Influence in the Civil and Political History of Mankind by Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)

“Aw,” said the ancient, picking up his sticks, and delivering his philosophy of the summum bonum with intense gusto.

From Greene Ferne Farm by Jefferies, Richard

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