I. ˈklīˌmaks noun
( -es )
Etymology: Latin, from Greek klimax ladder, from klinein to lean — more at lean
1. : a figure of speech in which a number of phrases or sentences are arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness
2.
a. : the last and highest member of a rhetorical climax
b. : the highest point or one of a number of high points (as of significance, intensity, or achievements) in anything conceived as growing, developing, or unfolding
this group of brilliant paintings marks the climax of the artist's career
the revolutionary upsurge reached its climax in bitter street fighting
c. : the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action of a play, story, or other literary composition
d. : orgasm
e. : climacterium , menopause
f. : the focus or center of interest in an artistic (as architectural) composition
3. : the peak or point of maximum development of a cultural tradition in a given area and period of time
4. : the relatively stable stage or community attained by an available population of organisms in a given environment, often constituting the culminating development in a natural succession or being one of the transitory stable states through which many populations pass before attaining such culminating development — see climatic climax , disclimax , edaphic climax , postclimax , preclimax , subclimax
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
intransitive verb
: to come or ascend to a climax
that decade which climaxed in 1912 was a time of tremendous change in our national life — W.A.White
climaxing in the hair-raising death of Rasputin — Publisher's Weekly
transitive verb
: to bring to a climax : provide a culminating event for
he climaxed his school career … by winning the Barbados Scholarship — Gordon Bell
scenic interest … is climaxed in the Goat Rocks Primitive Area — American Guide Series: Washington
climaxing bitter hardship, an epidemic took 156 of the 600 settlers — American Guide Series: Texas