acme [L16th] In Greek akmē meant ‘point, edge, pinnacle, highest point’. Its use in English dates from the mid 16th century, although for the next fifty years or so it was consciously used as a Greek word and written in Greek letters. For many people their first exposure to the word comes from the ‘Looney Tunes’ cartoons featuring the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, where the characters buy products from the Acme company. ‘Acme’ was a real brand name for various US firms in the last two decades of the 19th century, chosen in part because the word comes near the top of many alphabetical lists of suppliers. Acne [M19th] the skin condition, has a similar root. The idea is that all those red pimples are little points sticking up from someone’s face.