ne plus ultra:
- the highest point, as of excellence or achievement; the acme; the pinnacle; the ultimate
- the most profound degree of a quality or condition
Example: If you were a graduate student in the 80's and subject to the general delusion that held literary criticism to be the ne plus ultra of intellectual thrill, then you too probably owned one of these: an oversize paperback with an austere cover and small-type title that, grouped with three or more of its kind on your bookshelf, confirmed your status as an avatar of predoctoral chic. [Reference: Judith Shulevitz, "Correction Appended", New York Times, October 29, 1995]
