plural summae
ˈsu̇-ˌmī 
ˈsü-,
-ˌmā;
ˈsə-ˌmē,
-ˌmī
1
: a comprehensive treatise
especially
: one by a scholastic philosopher
2
: a synthesis or summary of any subject
Examples of summa in a Sentence
the director's book is basically a summa of his views on the nature of the theatrical experience
Recent Examples on the Web
The painting is a mini summa of two key tendencies running through Shahn’s work: self-quotation and cheekiness.
—
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
Rabelais points out that there are oddities in the world that cannot fit into any classification scheme, more things in our heaven and earth than are dreamt of in either the medieval pretensions of the summa or the ambitious early modern bibliographic machines.
—Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 27 Dec. 2024
The stage was set for the Fourth, whose five movements add up to a summa of Bartók’s art, by turns tenaciously labored, sinuously swirling, nocturnally eerie, pizzicato-punchy, and flat-out wild.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Alas, Dostoevsky — all of whose major characters clearly embody aspects of his own extremist personality — died in 1881, shortly after completing this summa of his most deeply felt themes and obsessions.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
The Conservative Sensibility is a kind of summa, a Ce que je crois.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 June 2023
The effort to enact these kinds of laws can be seen as the sum and summa of how Republican’s view democracy, which essentially holds that Democratic party electoral victories are inherently illegitimate.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 22 June 2021
Baldwin Wallace's newest employee is Jeannie Vassanelli, catering and events manager and a 1998 BW summa cum laude graduate.
—Plain Dealer Business Staff, cleveland.com, 18 June 2017
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Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
Rabelais points out that there are oddities in the world that cannot fit into any classification scheme, more things in our heaven and earth than are dreamt of in either the medieval pretensions of the summa or the ambitious early modern bibliographic machines.
—Brendan Fitzgerald, Longreads, 27 Dec. 2024
The stage was set for the Fourth, whose five movements add up to a summa of Bartók’s art, by turns tenaciously labored, sinuously swirling, nocturnally eerie, pizzicato-punchy, and flat-out wild.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Alas, Dostoevsky — all of whose major characters clearly embody aspects of his own extremist personality — died in 1881, shortly after completing this summa of his most deeply felt themes and obsessions.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
The Conservative Sensibility is a kind of summa, a Ce que je crois.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 June 2023
The effort to enact these kinds of laws can be seen as the sum and summa of how Republican’s view democracy, which essentially holds that Democratic party electoral victories are inherently illegitimate.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 22 June 2021
Baldwin Wallace's newest employee is Jeannie Vassanelli, catering and events manager and a 1998 BW summa cum laude graduate.
—Plain Dealer Business Staff, cleveland.com, 18 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Summa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summa. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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