[ klʌɪ'makt(ə)rɪk , ˌklʌɪmak'tɛrɪk ]
■ noun
1》 a critical period or event.
2》 Medicine the period of life when fertility is in decline; (in women) the menopause.
3》 Botany the ripening period while still on the tree of certain fruits such as apples, involving increased metabolism.
■ adjective
1》 having extreme and far-reaching implications or results; critical.
2》 Medicine & Botany relating to or undergoing a ~.
Origin
C16: from Fr. climactérique or via L. from Gk klimaktērikos , from klimaktēr 'critical period', from klimax 'ladder, climax'.