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climaxes

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cli⋅max

  [klahy-maks]
Use climaxes in a Sentence
–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.
5. Ecology. the stable and self-perpetuating end stage in the ecological succession or evolution of a plant and animal community.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
6. to bring to or reach a climax.
Origin:
1580–90; < LL < Gk klîmax ladder, akin to klnein to lean

Synonyms:
1. summit, zenith, acme, apex.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cli·max   (klī'māks')   
n.  

  1. The point of greatest intensity or force in an ascending series or progression; a culmination. See Synonyms at summit.

    1. A series of statements or ideas in an ascending order of rhetorical force or intensity.

    2. The final statement in such a series.

    3. A moment of great or culminating intensity in a narrative or drama, especially the conclusion of a crisis.

    4. The turning point in a plot or dramatic action.

    1. A moment of great or culminating intensity in a narrative or drama, especially the conclusion of a crisis.

    2. The turning point in a plot or dramatic action.

  4. See orgasm.

  5. A stage in ecological development in which a community of organisms, especially plants, is stable and capable of perpetuating itself. Also called climax community.

tr. & intr.v.   cli·maxed, cli·max·ing, cli·max·es
To bring to or reach a climax.

[Latin clīmax, rhetorical climax, from Greek klīmax, ladder; 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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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 achieved," 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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

climax

See buying climaxselling climax.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cli·max
Pronunciation: 'klI-"maks
Function: noun
1 : the highest or most intense point
2 : ORGASM
3 : MENOPAUSE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

climax cli·max (klī'māks')
n.

  1. The height of a disease; the stage of greatest severity.

  2. 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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