Word Study
critical point
CIDE DICTIONARY
critical point,
That combination of volume and pressure, at the critical temperature of the substance, at which the liquid and gaseous phases of a given quantity of a substance have identical values for their densities and other properties. [PJC]
THESAURUS
critical point
bench mark, cardinal point, chief thing, climacteric, climax, clutch, convergence of events, core, cornerstone, crisis, critical juncture, crossroads, crucial period, crunch, crux, emergency, essence, essential, essential matter, exigency, extremity, fundamental, gist, gravamen, great point, heart, high point, hinge, important thing, issue, kernel, keystone, landmark, main point, main thing, material point, meat, milestone, nub, pass, pinch, pith, pivot, push, real issue, rub, salient point, sine qua non, strait, substance, substantive point, the bottom line, the point, turn, turning pointFor further exploring for "critical point" in Webster Dictionary Online