climax

== English == === Etymology === From Latin clīmax, from Ancient Greek κλῖμαξ (klîmax, “ladder, staircase, [rhetorical] climax”), from κλίνω (klínō, “to lean, slant”). === Pronunciation === enPR: klīʹ-măks IPA(key): /ˈklaɪ.mæks/ Rhymes: -aɪmæks === Noun === climax (countable and uncountable, plural climaxes or (rare) climaces) (originally rhetoric) A rhetorical device in which a series is arranged in ascending order. (obsolete) An instance of such an ascending series. (narratology) The culmination of a narrative's rising action, the turning point. (now often) A culmination or acme: the last term in an ascending series, particularly: (rhetoric, imprecise) The final term of a rhetorical climax. (ecology) The culmination of ecological development, whereby species are in equilibrium with their environment. (euphemistic) The culmination of sexual pleasure, an orgasm. ==== Synonyms ==== (rhetorical device): incrementum; (imprecise): auxesis, catacosmesis (culmination): See Thesaurus:apex ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “rhetorical device”): catacosmesis ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== climacteric ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== anadiplosis === Verb === climax (third-person singular simple present climaxes, present participle climaxing, simple past and past participle climaxed) (ambitransitive) To reach or bring to a climax (in any sense). (transitive) To form the climax to; to be the climax of. ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “climax”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “climax”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin climax, from Ancient Greek κλῖμαξ (klîmax). === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: cli‧max === Noun === climax m (plural climaxen, diminutive climaxje n) (literature) climax (culmination of a narrative's rising action) Antonym: anticlimax climax (culmination or acme, the last term in an ascending series) Synonym: hoogtepunt ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Indonesian: klimaks == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /kli.maks/ === Noun === climax m (uncountable) climax (all senses) ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “climax”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Latin == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek κλῖμαξ (klîmax, “ladder, staircase, [rhetorical] climax”), from κλίνω (klínō, “to lean, slant”). === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈkliː.maks] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈkliː.maks] === Noun === clīmax f (genitive clīmacis); third declension (rhetoric) climax ==== Inflection ==== Third-declension noun. === References === “climax”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French climax. === Noun === climax n (plural climaxuri) climax ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /kliˈmaɡs/ [kliˈmaɣ̞s] Rhymes: -aɡs Syllabification: cli‧max === Noun === climax m (plural climax) climax