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noun
1.
the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination: His career reached its climax when he was elected president.
2.
(in a dramatic or literary work) a decisive moment that is of maximum intensity or is a major turning point in a plot.
3.
Rhetoric.
a.
a figure consisting of a series of related ideas so arranged that each surpasses the preceding in force or intensity.
b.
the last term or member of this figure.
4.
an orgasm.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
6.
to bring to or reach a climax.
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Climaxed
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Origin:
1580–90; < Late Latin < Greek klîmax ladder, akin to klī́nein to lean
1580–90; < Late Latin < Greek klîmax ladder, akin to klī́nein to lean
Related forms
hy·per·cli·max, noun
un·cli·maxed, adjective
Synonyms
1. summit, zenith, acme, apex.
1. summit, zenith, acme, apex.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To climaxed
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
climax
1589, from L.L. climax (gen. climacis), from Gk. klimax "propositions rising in effectiveness," lit. "ladder," from base of klinein "to slope," from PIE base *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)). The rhetorical meaning evolved in Eng. through "series of steps by which a goal is
EXPANDachieved," to "escalating steps," to (1789) "high point," a usage credited by the OED "to popular ignorance." The verb is 1835, from the noun. The meaning "orgasm" is first recorded 1918, apparently coined by birth-control pioneer Marie Stopes, as a more accessible word than orgasm.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
climax cli·max (klī'māks')
n.
The height of a disease; the stage of greatest severity.
See orgasm.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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