climaxn.

Brit.

/ˈklʌɪmaks/, U.S.

/ˈklaɪˌmæks/

Inflections: Plural climaxes, climaces.

Forms: 1500s–1700s clymax, 1500s– climax.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin climax.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin climax (from 4th cent. in grammarians and other authors; already in the classical Latin author Quintilian as a Greek word) < ancient Greek κλῖμαξ ladder, (in rhetoric) figure of speech in which the principal word of each clause is caught up and added to the next, probably < the base of κλίνειν to lean (see clino- comb. form) + -αξ , suffix forming nouns, probably influenced by Hellenistic Greek κλίμα inclination, slope (see climate n.¹), although this is apparently first attested later.With sense 1a compare gradation n. 8a. N.E.D. (1889) remarks that senses 1b and 3 ‘are due to popular ignorance and misuse of the learned word’.

a. Rhetoric. A rhetorical device consisting of a series of related ideas or statements arranged in order of increasing force, intensity, or effectiveness; = gradation n. 8. Also: an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > figure of speech > figures of structure or thought > [noun] > climax

gradation1538

climax1572

auxesis1577

advancer1589

increment1753

1572 C. Carlile Disc. Peter ii. sig. I.i^v Ergo not the Pope which Paule proueth by this climax, this gradation, this induction, and sorites.

1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xix. 173 A figure which..by his Greeke and Latine originals..may be called the marching figure..it may aswell be called the clyming figure, for Clymax is as much to say as a ladder.

1656 J. Smith Myst. Rhetorique Unvail'd 94 Climax..Gradatio, Gradation, or a climbing by steps.

1684 R. Burthogge Argument Infants Baptisme i. 10 This is the Clymax; if Believers, then Christ's; if Christ's, then Abraham's Seed; if Abraham's Seed, then Heirs according to the Promise.

1748 J. Mason Ess. Elocution 29 In a Climax, the Voice should always rise with it.

1768 London Mag. Jan. 4/2 A needless tautology is prevented, and the climax is preserved.

1828 R. Whately Rhetoric in Encycl. Metrop. 264/1 The well-known Climax of Cicero in the Oration against Verres.

1876 W. E. Gladstone Homeric Synchronism 151 The whole passage as to the gifts of Agamemnon is in the nature of a climax.

1929 Eng. Jrnl. 18 210 The reason given for the change is that the various titles do not form a rhetorical climax.

1993 P. Mack Renaissance Argument i. 3 Rhetorically the progression from one repeated word to the next embodies the figure of climax (in Latin, gradatio).

2005 S. O. Shapiro in O Tempora! O Mores! i. 68 The climax of these verbs is heightened by the use of asyndeton.

b. The last or most important term or part of a rhetorical climax.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > figure of speech > figures of structure or thought > [noun] > climax > last term of

climax1784

1784 A. McDonald Independent II. xxvii. 65 This last climax nettled his Lordship not a little.

1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits ix. 147 When he adds epithets of praise, his climax is ‘so English’.

1865 R. W. Dale Jewish Temple xxiv. 275 This is the terrible close of the argument, the climax of the protracted appeal.

1911 F. B. Grummere Democracy & Poetry v. 244 Emerson..praises the splendid onomatopoeia of the climax.

1943 Times 29 July 5/4 ‘Our curate is naught; an ass-head, a dodipole; a lack-Latin’. The first two epithets are strong, but..the abuse rises to its climax with the third.

1988 C. H. Cosgrove Cross & Spirit ii. 51 The argument of 3:23-3:29 reaches its climax in verse 29.

2014 N. L. Collins Jesus, Sabbath & Jewish Deb. iii. 59 Most commentaries claim that Mark 2:28..is an independent statement about Jesus, rather than the climax of an argument.

†2. An ascending series or scale of something. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1641 R. Heyrick 3 Serm. iii. 119 Sinne and judgement have their Climaxes: simple fornication was not to bee punished with death, but with maryage or a Dowry.

1682 W. Richards Wallography 15 The Style was situate South-East-by North, and consisted of a climax of three rails, over which we convey'd our selves by Elevation of Leg.

1753 ‘Nomentatus’ Adventurer No. 100. 177 I had now ascended another scale in the climax; and was acknowledged..to be a Joyous Spirit.

1793 E. Burke Let. 23 Aug. in Corr. (1844) IV. 135 The top of the climax of their wickedness.

1823 Monthly Rev. Dec. 347 We now arrive at the top of the climax.

3. The culmination, peak, or apex of something; the most important or exciting part of a film, contest, etc., usually happening near the end.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [noun] > state of or advanced condition > highest point

prickOE

heighta1050

full1340

higha1398

pointc1400

roofa1500

top-castle1548

ruff1549

acmea1568

tip1567

noontide1578

high tide1579

superlative1583

summity1588

spring tide1593

meridian1594

period1595

apogee1600

punctilio1601

high-water mark1602

noon1609

zenith1610

auge1611

apex1624

culmination1633

cumble1640

culmen1646

climax1647

topc1650

cumulus1659

summit1661

perigeum1670

highest1688

consummation1698

stretch1741

high point1787

perihelion1804

summary1831

comble1832

heading up1857

climacteric1870

flashpoint1878

tip-end1885

peak1902

noontime1903

Omega point1981

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > increase to highest point or degree > highest point of increase

status1577

apex1624

sublimity1637

climax1647

culmination1657

acme1761

boiling-point1773

crescendo1925

1647 G. Tooke Belides sig. R2^v And thus the Climax of our joyes arises.

1668 T. Watson Holy Eucharist (ed. 2) To Rdr. 114 To such a Climax of impudency are some risen, as to vilifie Ordinances, oppugn Christ's Divinity, deride the in-habitation of God's Spirit; and deny praying by the Spirit.

1758 New Atalantis (ed. 2) 100 The whole progress of lust in its different periods to the very climax.

1789 Trifler No. 35 448 In the accomplishment of this, they frequently reach the climax of absurdity.

1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. v. 103 Considering them [sc. stage-coaches] as the very climax and pinnacle of locomotive griefs.

1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine p. xxiii Jerusalem is the climax of the long ascent.

1890 Overland Monthly Mar. 319 There is a strike and a mob scene as the climax of the story.

1938 Life 4 Apr. 66/2 The rumba consists of a series of convolutions in which a generously-hipped mulatto..works up to a climax of movement.

1977 J. le Carré Honourable Schoolboy iii. xiv. 306 He keeps things in a low and almost deprecating key of which the inexorable climax is accordingly more thrilling.

2014 T. McCulloch Stillman 161 I'm gripping the arm-rest as the film comes to its climax.

4. The highest point of sexual excitement, characterized by intense sensation and usually accompanied in the male by ejaculation of sperm and in the female by involuntary vaginal contractions; an instance of this. Also more fully sexual climax. Cf. orgasm n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > orgasm

happy ending1748

orgasm1754

spending1856

climax1873

1873 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 423/1 She had fits during the climax of coition.

1918 M. C. Stopes Married Love v. 50 In many cases the man's climax comes so swiftly that the woman's reactions are not nearly ready.

1949 M. Mead Male & Female xiv. 294 The doctrine that women should have climaxes just like men.

1986 S. Penman Here be Dragons (1991) (U.K. ed.) ii. ix. 692 She..was unable to reach climax.

2005 N.Y. Mag. 7 Nov. 181 (advt.) The physical contractions during male climax can actually be multiplied.

5. Ecology. The point in ecological succession at which the vegetation of a particular area has reached a relatively stable state. Originally and frequently attributive; see also Compounds.The original use of 'climax' denoted an idealized endpoint of succession or a state of equilibrium which could be maintained indefinitely under certain conditions. Current ecological thought emphasizes that stable communities may still undergo succession.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > balance of nature > [noun] > replacement of one species by another > climax

climax1899

post-climax1916

preclimax1916

subclimax1916

proclimax1930

polyclimax1933

monoclimax1934

plagioclimax1935

disclimax1936

1899 H. C. Cowles in Bot. Gaz. 27 112 Primitive plant societies pass rapidly or slowly into others; at first the changes are likely to be rapid, but as the plant assemblage more and more approaches the climax type of the region, the changes become more slow.

1916 F. E. Clements Plant Succession iii. 33 A successional stage may persist beyond the usual period, and become a temporary climax, or, more rarely, it may become the actual climax.

1952 P. W. Richards Trop. Rain Forest iii. 40 Since the Tropical Rain forest is a climatic climax, it must, by definition, be in a state of equilibrium.

1991 J. Rifkin Biosphere Politics i. v. 51 These ancient ecosystems exist in a climax state, quickly recycling energy back from roots to canopy with very little allowed to remain on the forest floor.

2003 N. J. Jacobs Environment, Power, & Injustice vi. 120 Within the field of ecology, concepts of strict succession patterns and one stable climax are increasingly being supplanted by theories with more dynamism.

Compounds

climax community n. Ecology a relatively stable ecosystem, representing the culminating stage of natural succession for its specific locality and environment; see sense 5.

ΚΠ

1915 Carnegie Inst. Year Bk. 1914 103 The climax community typical of each climatic region is the result of a definite organic development.

1958 W. S. Cooper Coastal Sand Dunes Oregon & Washington 65 The generalized series in this region is from sand-binding grasses, rushes, and creeping shrubs, through thicket to pine or spruce forest, and finally to the ‘climax’ community of western hemlock, western arbor vitae, and Douglas fir.

2001 Policy Sci. 34 112 Many ecologists question whether ecosystems have succession pathways, which when completed, lead to climax communities of species.

climax forest n. Ecology a type of climax community dominated by trees, representing the culminating stage of natural succession for its specific locality and environment; a forest of this type; (also) the plants of such a forest collectively.

ΚΠ

1901 Bot. Gaz. 31 300 The deep shade established by the pines means that the edaphic and atmospheric factors have become favorable for establishing the climax forest of the region.

1994 Vanity Fair May 166/2 ‘Palm Beach is a horrible place’, Robertson says. ‘It was a climax forest in the 1950s’.

2004 R. Dawkins Ancestor's Tale 390 The time it takes to transform bare sand into climax forest.

climax vegetation n. Ecology the vegetation of a climax community.

ΚΠ

1903 Bot. Gaz. 35 149 The north-facing slopes, as so often is the case, have the climax vegetation of the region.

1962 J. E. Van Riper Man's Physical World ix. 318 Pine was believed to be a dominant climax vegetation on coastal-plain sands, but evidence now indicates that oak will replace it if fire is kept away.

2000 A. J. Whitten et al. Ecol. Sumatra (new ed.) xi. 340 A particular ‘climax’ vegetation is probably just one of a continuous range of possible ‘climaxes’ for that area.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

climaxv.

Brit.

/ˈklʌɪmaks/, U.S.

/ˈklaɪˌmæks/

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: climax n.

Etymology: < climax n.

†a. transitive. To provide an ascending gradation or rhetorical climax to or for (something). Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1799 M. Charlton Rosella I. x. 255 The epithets of my good one, my fine fellow, &c. climaxed the salutation.

b. intransitive. To progress in an ascending series or scale; to develop in stages to a particular point.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > come in due order or course [verb (intransitive)] > form an advancing series

progress1839

climax1861

1861 Macmillan's Mag. Apr. 444/2 This end is very fine. Towards it the tale has gradually climaxed.

1869 Harper's New Monthly Mag. Oct. 677/1 The whole course of Bridget's relations with the family..were a queer mixture of comedy and tragedy, which climaxed to a point where there appeared..a quite legitimate mode of getting rid of her.

1957 Pop. Mech. July 102/2 Electrical firing devices were unheard of a century ago... Nor had engineering climaxed to the point where detonation was..positive.

1994 Times of India 31 Jan. 3/4 A fierce battle for survival that climaxed to a success story in the 1960s.

a. transitive. To be the climax or culmination of; to bring to a climax.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [verb (transitive)] > bring to or form highest point

to bring to a head1603

culminate1659

cumulate1660

climax1807

pinnacle1840

peak1887

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > to highest degree

to bring to a head1603

culminate1659

climax1807

maximize1815

1807 Lady Morgan Novice of St. Dominick IV. xxxiii. 139 A variety of splendid entertainments succeeded to each other, each more attractive than that which had elapsed, till the Loves of Cupid and Psyche climaxed the gay succession of festive pleasures.

1832 F. Marryat Pacha in Metropolitan Jan. 87 The career of guilt..which he had climaxed by the denial of his Redeemer.

1886 M. F. Tupper My Life as Author 182 Thus losing the splendid scenery climaxed by the Devil's Bridge.

1938 Washington Post 20 Aug. 4/4 President Quezon climaxed a two-day..celebration of his sixtieth birthday with a ‘State of the Nation’ address.

1992 New Republic 27 Apr. 33/1 The spiritual wanderings of Pierre Bezhukhov..are climaxed at the end by the portrayal of Pierre as a reflective man.

2006 F. Wilczek Fantastic Realities 4 Euclid climaxed his Elements with the first known proof that only five such regular polyhedra exist.

b. intransitive. To reach or come to a climax; to culminate.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advance, progress, or develop [verb (intransitive)] > reach highest point

to grow to a head1579

culminatea1662

climax1882

peak1937

the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > to highest degree > reach highest degree of increase

to grow to a head1579

to gather to a heada1616

to come to a head1655

culminatea1662

climax1882

to reach a crescendo1925

to top off1970

to top out1972

1832 Satirist 1 Apr. 6/1 Things are climaxing with the great houses.

1882 Cent. Mag. 25 111 The excitement..climaxed suddenly in her presence.

1942 Sat. Evening Post 14 Feb. 20/2 A fast double shuffle that should have climaxed in a stomp.

1992 Vanity Fair June 80/1 Hawking's work on black holes climaxed in 1974 with his discovery of ‘Hawking radiation’.

2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 9 Apr. 11/1 This essentially conservative Bavarian was outraged by the student unrest which climaxed in 1968.

3. intransitive. To achieve sexual climax; = orgasm v.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > excitement > pleasurable excitement > [verb (intransitive)] > experience sexual ecstasy or climax

to get off1867

to feel the earth move1940

climax1971

orgasm1973

1971 Med. Times 99 185/2 I have been consulted frequently by brides of nine to 18 months who have not been able to climax.

1982 S. Conran Lace iv. 228 After he climaxed, he kissed her gently on the lips.

1992 Evening Standard (Nexis) 7 July 17 Back in the late Seventies.., the women flocking to sex therapists were those who were unable to climax.

2006 Company Nov. 70/2 Contrary to popular belief, your bits won't get numbed by a vibrator, nor will you body forget how to climax in other ways!

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	climax
释义	climaxn. Brit. /ˈklʌɪmaks/, U.S. /ˈklaɪˌmæks/ Inflections: Plural climaxes, climaces. Forms: 1500s–1700s clymax, 1500s– climax. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin climax. Etymology: < post-classical Latin climax (from 4th cent. in grammarians and other authors; already in the classical Latin author Quintilian as a Greek word) < ancient Greek κλῖμαξ ladder, (in rhetoric) figure of speech in which the principal word of each clause is caught up and added to the next, probably < the base of κλίνειν to lean (see clino- comb. form) + -αξ , suffix forming nouns, probably influenced by Hellenistic Greek κλίμα inclination, slope (see climate n.¹), although this is apparently first attested later.With sense 1a compare gradation n. 8a. N.E.D. (1889) remarks that senses 1b and 3 ‘are due to popular ignorance and misuse of the learned word’. 1. a. Rhetoric. A rhetorical device consisting of a series of related ideas or statements arranged in order of increasing force, intensity, or effectiveness; = gradation n. 8. Also: an instance of this. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > figure of speech > figures of structure or thought > [noun] > climax gradation1538 climax1572 auxesis1577 advancer1589 increment1753 1572 C. Carlile Disc. Peter ii. sig. I.i^v Ergo not the Pope which Paule proueth by this climax, this gradation, this induction, and sorites. 1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xix. 173 A figure which..by his Greeke and Latine originals..may be called the marching figure..it may aswell be called the clyming figure, for Clymax is as much to say as a ladder. 1656 J. Smith Myst. Rhetorique Unvail'd 94 Climax..Gradatio, Gradation, or a climbing by steps. 1684 R. Burthogge Argument Infants Baptisme i. 10 This is the Clymax; if Believers, then Christ's; if Christ's, then Abraham's Seed; if Abraham's Seed, then Heirs according to the Promise. 1748 J. Mason Ess. Elocution 29 In a Climax, the Voice should always rise with it. 1768 London Mag. Jan. 4/2 A needless tautology is prevented, and the climax is preserved. 1828 R. Whately Rhetoric in Encycl. Metrop. 264/1 The well-known Climax of Cicero in the Oration against Verres. 1876 W. E. Gladstone Homeric Synchronism 151 The whole passage as to the gifts of Agamemnon is in the nature of a climax. 1929 Eng. Jrnl. 18 210 The reason given for the change is that the various titles do not form a rhetorical climax. 1993 P. Mack Renaissance Argument i. 3 Rhetorically the progression from one repeated word to the next embodies the figure of climax (in Latin, gradatio). 2005 S. O. Shapiro in O Tempora! O Mores! i. 68 The climax of these verbs is heightened by the use of asyndeton. b. The last or most important term or part of a rhetorical climax. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > figure of speech > figures of structure or thought > [noun] > climax > last term of climax1784 1784 A. McDonald Independent II. xxvii. 65 This last climax nettled his Lordship not a little. 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits ix. 147 When he adds epithets of praise, his climax is ‘so English’. 1865 R. W. Dale Jewish Temple xxiv. 275 This is the terrible close of the argument, the climax of the protracted appeal. 1911 F. B. Grummere Democracy & Poetry v. 244 Emerson..praises the splendid onomatopoeia of the climax. 1943 Times 29 July 5/4 ‘Our curate is naught; an ass-head, a dodipole; a lack-Latin’. The first two epithets are strong, but..the abuse rises to its climax with the third. 1988 C. H. Cosgrove Cross & Spirit ii. 51 The argument of 3:23-3:29 reaches its climax in verse 29. 2014 N. L. Collins Jesus, Sabbath & Jewish Deb. iii. 59 Most commentaries claim that Mark 2:28..is an independent statement about Jesus, rather than the climax of an argument. †2. An ascending series or scale of something. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1641 R. Heyrick 3 Serm. iii. 119 Sinne and judgement have their Climaxes: simple fornication was not to bee punished with death, but with maryage or a Dowry. 1682 W. Richards Wallography 15 The Style was situate South-East-by North, and consisted of a climax of three rails, over which we convey'd our selves by Elevation of Leg. 1753 ‘Nomentatus’ Adventurer No. 100. 177 I had now ascended another scale in the climax; and was acknowledged..to be a Joyous Spirit. 1793 E. Burke Let. 23 Aug. in Corr. (1844) IV. 135 The top of the climax of their wickedness. 1823 Monthly Rev. Dec. 347 We now arrive at the top of the climax. 3. The culmination, peak, or apex of something; the most important or exciting part of a film, contest, etc., usually happening near the end. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [noun] > state of or advanced condition > highest point prickOE heighta1050 full1340 higha1398 pointc1400 roofa1500 top-castle1548 ruff1549 acmea1568 tip1567 noontide1578 high tide1579 superlative1583 summity1588 spring tide1593 meridian1594 period1595 apogee1600 punctilio1601 high-water mark1602 noon1609 zenith1610 auge1611 apex1624 culmination1633 cumble1640 culmen1646 climax1647 topc1650 cumulus1659 summit1661 perigeum1670 highest1688 consummation1698 stretch1741 high point1787 perihelion1804 summary1831 comble1832 heading up1857 climacteric1870 flashpoint1878 tip-end1885 peak1902 noontime1903 Omega point1981 the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > increase to highest point or degree > highest point of increase status1577 apex1624 sublimity1637 climax1647 culmination1657 acme1761 boiling-point1773 crescendo1925 1647 G. Tooke Belides sig. R2^v And thus the Climax of our joyes arises. 1668 T. Watson Holy Eucharist (ed. 2) To Rdr. 114 To such a Climax of impudency are some risen, as to vilifie Ordinances, oppugn Christ's Divinity, deride the in-habitation of God's Spirit; and deny praying by the Spirit. 1758 New Atalantis (ed. 2) 100 The whole progress of lust in its different periods to the very climax. 1789 Trifler No. 35 448 In the accomplishment of this, they frequently reach the climax of absurdity. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. v. 103 Considering them [sc. stage-coaches] as the very climax and pinnacle of locomotive griefs. 1856 A. P. Stanley Sinai & Palestine p. xxiii Jerusalem is the climax of the long ascent. 1890 Overland Monthly Mar. 319 There is a strike and a mob scene as the climax of the story. 1938 Life 4 Apr. 66/2 The rumba consists of a series of convolutions in which a generously-hipped mulatto..works up to a climax of movement. 1977 J. le Carré Honourable Schoolboy iii. xiv. 306 He keeps things in a low and almost deprecating key of which the inexorable climax is accordingly more thrilling. 2014 T. McCulloch Stillman 161 I'm gripping the arm-rest as the film comes to its climax. 4. The highest point of sexual excitement, characterized by intense sensation and usually accompanied in the male by ejaculation of sperm and in the female by involuntary vaginal contractions; an instance of this. Also more fully sexual climax. Cf. orgasm n. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > [noun] > orgasm happy ending1748 orgasm1754 spending1856 climax1873 1873 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 423/1 She had fits during the climax of coition. 1918 M. C. Stopes Married Love v. 50 In many cases the man's climax comes so swiftly that the woman's reactions are not nearly ready. 1949 M. Mead Male & Female xiv. 294 The doctrine that women should have climaxes just like men. 1986 S. Penman Here be Dragons (1991) (U.K. ed.) ii. ix. 692 She..was unable to reach climax. 2005 N.Y. Mag. 7 Nov. 181 (advt.) The physical contractions during male climax can actually be multiplied. 5. Ecology. The point in ecological succession at which the vegetation of a particular area has reached a relatively stable state. Originally and frequently attributive; see also Compounds.The original use of 'climax' denoted an idealized endpoint of succession or a state of equilibrium which could be maintained indefinitely under certain conditions. Current ecological thought emphasizes that stable communities may still undergo succession. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > balance of nature > [noun] > replacement of one species by another > climax climax1899 post-climax1916 preclimax1916 subclimax1916 proclimax1930 polyclimax1933 monoclimax1934 plagioclimax1935 disclimax1936 1899 H. C. Cowles in Bot. Gaz. 27 112 Primitive plant societies pass rapidly or slowly into others; at first the changes are likely to be rapid, but as the plant assemblage more and more approaches the climax type of the region, the changes become more slow. 1916 F. E. Clements Plant Succession iii. 33 A successional stage may persist beyond the usual period, and become a temporary climax, or, more rarely, it may become the actual climax. 1952 P. W. Richards Trop. Rain Forest iii. 40 Since the Tropical Rain forest is a climatic climax, it must, by definition, be in a state of equilibrium. 1991 J. Rifkin Biosphere Politics i. v. 51 These ancient ecosystems exist in a climax state, quickly recycling energy back from roots to canopy with very little allowed to remain on the forest floor. 2003 N. J. Jacobs Environment, Power, & Injustice vi. 120 Within the field of ecology, concepts of strict succession patterns and one stable climax are increasingly being supplanted by theories with more dynamism. Compounds climax community n. Ecology a relatively stable ecosystem, representing the culminating stage of natural succession for its specific locality and environment; see sense 5. ΚΠ 1915 Carnegie Inst. Year Bk. 1914 103 The climax community typical of each climatic region is the result of a definite organic development. 1958 W. S. Cooper Coastal Sand Dunes Oregon & Washington 65 The generalized series in this region is from sand-binding grasses, rushes, and creeping shrubs, through thicket to pine or spruce forest, and finally to the ‘climax’ community of western hemlock, western arbor vitae, and Douglas fir. 2001 Policy Sci. 34 112 Many ecologists question whether ecosystems have succession pathways, which when completed, lead to climax communities of species. climax forest n. Ecology a type of climax community dominated by trees, representing the culminating stage of natural succession for its specific locality and environment; a forest of this type; (also) the plants of such a forest collectively. ΚΠ 1901 Bot. Gaz. 31 300 The deep shade established by the pines means that the edaphic and atmospheric factors have become favorable for establishing the climax forest of the region. 1994 Vanity Fair May 166/2 ‘Palm Beach is a horrible place’, Robertson says. ‘It was a climax forest in the 1950s’. 2004 R. Dawkins Ancestor's Tale 390 The time it takes to transform bare sand into climax forest. climax vegetation n. Ecology the vegetation of a climax community. ΚΠ 1903 Bot. Gaz. 35 149 The north-facing slopes, as so often is the case, have the climax vegetation of the region. 1962 J. E. Van Riper Man's Physical World ix. 318 Pine was believed to be a dominant climax vegetation on coastal-plain sands, but evidence now indicates that oak will replace it if fire is kept away. 2000 A. J. Whitten et al. Ecol. Sumatra (new ed.) xi. 340 A particular ‘climax’ vegetation is probably just one of a continuous range of possible ‘climaxes’ for that area. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). climaxv. Brit. /ˈklʌɪmaks/, U.S. /ˈklaɪˌmæks/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: climax n. Etymology: < climax n. 1. †a. transitive. To provide an ascending gradation or rhetorical climax to or for (something). Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1799 M. Charlton Rosella I. x. 255 The epithets of my good one, my fine fellow, &c. climaxed the salutation. b. intransitive. To progress in an ascending series or scale; to develop in stages to a particular point. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > come in due order or course [verb (intransitive)] > form an advancing series progress1839 climax1861 1861 Macmillan's Mag. Apr. 444/2 This end is very fine. Towards it the tale has gradually climaxed. 1869 Harper's New Monthly Mag. Oct. 677/1 The whole course of Bridget's relations with the family..were a queer mixture of comedy and tragedy, which climaxed to a point where there appeared..a quite legitimate mode of getting rid of her. 1957 Pop. Mech. July 102/2 Electrical firing devices were unheard of a century ago... Nor had engineering climaxed to the point where detonation was..positive. 1994 Times of India 31 Jan. 3/4 A fierce battle for survival that climaxed to a success story in the 1960s. 2. a. transitive. To be the climax or culmination of; to bring to a climax. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [verb (transitive)] > bring to or form highest point to bring to a head1603 culminate1659 cumulate1660 climax1807 pinnacle1840 peak1887 the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > to highest degree to bring to a head1603 culminate1659 climax1807 maximize1815 1807 Lady Morgan Novice of St. Dominick IV. xxxiii. 139 A variety of splendid entertainments succeeded to each other, each more attractive than that which had elapsed, till the Loves of Cupid and Psyche climaxed the gay succession of festive pleasures. 1832 F. Marryat Pacha in Metropolitan Jan. 87 The career of guilt..which he had climaxed by the denial of his Redeemer. 1886 M. F. Tupper My Life as Author 182 Thus losing the splendid scenery climaxed by the Devil's Bridge. 1938 Washington Post 20 Aug. 4/4 President Quezon climaxed a two-day..celebration of his sixtieth birthday with a ‘State of the Nation’ address. 1992 New Republic 27 Apr. 33/1 The spiritual wanderings of Pierre Bezhukhov..are climaxed at the end by the portrayal of Pierre as a reflective man. 2006 F. Wilczek Fantastic Realities 4 Euclid climaxed his Elements with the first known proof that only five such regular polyhedra exist. b. intransitive. To reach or come to a climax; to culminate. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advance, progress, or develop [verb (intransitive)] > reach highest point to grow to a head1579 culminatea1662 climax1882 peak1937 the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (intransitive)] > to highest degree > reach highest degree of increase to grow to a head1579 to gather to a heada1616 to come to a head1655 culminatea1662 climax1882 to reach a crescendo1925 to top off1970 to top out1972 1832 Satirist 1 Apr. 6/1 Things are climaxing with the great houses. 1882 Cent. Mag. 25 111 The excitement..climaxed suddenly in her presence. 1942 Sat. Evening Post 14 Feb. 20/2 A fast double shuffle that should have climaxed in a stomp. 1992 Vanity Fair June 80/1 Hawking's work on black holes climaxed in 1974 with his discovery of ‘Hawking radiation’. 2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 9 Apr. 11/1 This essentially conservative Bavarian was outraged by the student unrest which climaxed in 1968. 3. intransitive. To achieve sexual climax; = orgasm v. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > excitement > pleasurable excitement > [verb (intransitive)] > experience sexual ecstasy or climax to get off1867 to feel the earth move1940 climax1971 orgasm1973 1971 Med. Times 99 185/2 I have been consulted frequently by brides of nine to 18 months who have not been able to climax. 1982 S. Conran Lace iv. 228 After he climaxed, he kissed her gently on the lips. 1992 Evening Standard (Nexis) 7 July 17 Back in the late Seventies.., the women flocking to sex therapists were those who were unable to climax. 2006 Company Nov. 70/2 Contrary to popular belief, your bits won't get numbed by a vibrator, nor will you body forget how to climax in other ways! This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1572v.1799
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