Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898)

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Acroterium

（ἀκρωτήριον). A word generally used in the plural, and signifying the extremity of anything.

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1.

In architecture it is the same as fastigium (q. v.), the sloping roof of a building, and also for the ornamental front or gable. A more usual meaning is the pedestals placed on the summit of a pediment to receive statues or other ornamental figures. There were three acroteria, one over each angle of the pediment.

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2.

The extremities of the prow of a vessel, which were usually taken from a conquered vessel as a mark of victory. Hence, the act of so doing is expressed by the verb ἀκρωτηριάζειν.

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3.

The extremities of a statue, such as the head, feet, hands, wings, etc.