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climate

 - 4 dictionary results

cli⋅mate

[klahy-mit]
–noun
1. the composite or generally prevailing weather conditions of a region, as temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years.
2. a region or area characterized by a given climate: to move to a warm climate.
3. the prevailing attitudes, standards, or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place: a climate of political unrest.

Origin:
1350–1400 for earlier senses; 1595–1605 for def. 2; ME climat < L clīmat- (s. of clīma) < Gk klīmat-, s. of klma slope, equiv. to klī- (akin to klnein to slope, lean) + -ma n. suffix


3. mood, atmosphere, spirit, tone, temper.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cli·mate   (klī'mĭt)   
n.  
  1. The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region.

  2. A region of the earth having particular meteorological conditions: lives in a cold climate.

  3. A prevailing condition or set of attitudes in human affairs: a climate of unrest.


[Middle English climat, from Old French, from Late Latin clima, climat-, from Greek klima, surface of the earth, region; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

climate

A region's usual weather patterns. The climate at any point on Earth is determined by things such as the general movement of the atmosphere, the proximity of the oceans, and the altitude of the location.

Note: The climate also is affected by the sun, by changes in the orbit of the Earth, by plate tectonics, and by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, which may lead to a greenhouse effect.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

climate 
1375, from O.Fr. climat, from L. clima (gen. climatis) "region, slope of the Earth," from Gk. klima "region, zone," from base of klinein "to slope," thus "slope of the Earth from equator to pole," from PIE base *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)). Angle of sun on the slope defined the zones assigned by early geographers. Meaning moved from "region" to "weather associated with that region" by c.1600. Climatology first recorded 1843.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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