Meanings (ES + gloss)
fastigio
Especially in Gothic architecture: an ornament, often in the form of a bunch or knot of foliage, on the peak of the gable of a roof, a pediment, a pinnacle, etc.
The steep slate roofs were topped with bronze finials so tall and fanciful they looked like drops of liquid sliding down a thread.
Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges; hence the conclusion of such a narration is apt to be less finished than an architectural finial.
Word forms