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Fine Dictionary

climax

ˈklaɪˌmæks
WordNet
  1. (v) climax
    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage "The meeting culminated in a tearful embrace"
  2. (n) climax
    the moment of most intense pleasure in sexual intercourse
  3. (n) climax
    the decisive moment in a novel or play "the deathbed scene is the climax of the play"
  4. (n) climax
    arrangement of clauses in ascending order of forcefulness
  5. (n) climax
    the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding "the climax of the artist's career","in the flood tide of his success"
  6. (n) climax
    the most severe stage of a disease
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
  1. Climax
    (Rhet) A figure in which the parts of a sentence or paragraph are so arranged that each succeeding one rises above its predecessor in impressiveness. "“Tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, and experience hope” -- a happy climax ."
  2. Climax
    The highest point; the greatest degree. "We must look higher for the climax of earthly good."
  3. Climax
    Upward movement; steady increase; gradation; ascent.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  1. (n) climax
    In rhetoric, originally, such an arrangement of successive clauses that the last important word of one is repeated as the first important word of the next; accumulated epanastrophe; hence (since this arrangement is generally adopted for the sake of graduated increase in force or emphasis), a figure by which a series of clauses or phrases is so arranged that each in turn surpasses the preceding one in intensity of expression or importance of meaning. See anticlimax. An example of climax in both its earlier and its established meaning is found in the following passage: “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed.” Rom. v. 3, 4.
  2. (n) climax
    In logic: A sorites, or chain of reasoning.
  3. (n) climax
    The sophism called sorites (which see).
  4. (n) climax
    The highest point of intensity, development, etc.; the culmination; acme: as, he was then at the climax of his fortunes.
  5. climax
    To reach the highest point or climax; culminate.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
  1. (n) Climax
    klī′maks (rhet.) the arranging of the particulars of a portion of a discourse so as to rise in strength to the last: the last term of the rhetorical arrangement: a culmination
  2. (v.i) Climax
    to ascend in a climax: to culminate
Quotations
One of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax.
Source Unknown
Lord Byron
Dreading that climax of all human ills the inflammation of his weekly bills.
Lord Byron
Happiness is not a brilliant climax to years of grim struggle and anxiety. It is a long succession of little decisions simply to be happy in the moment.
J. Donald Walters
Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary L., from Gr. ladder, staircase, fr. to make to bend, to lean. See Ladder Lean (v. i.)

Usage in the news

From the downtown area in the Village of Climax to Climax -Scotts Community School, vehicles and people lined Main Street late Monday morning. blog.mlive.com

Every scene is all climax and no foreplay. houstonpress.com

Drake Recycles Elle ' Climax ' Quote in GQ. observer.com

A public outcry has persuaded the US Forest Service to ditch commercial logging plans that threatened Climax Spring in Rockcastle County. kentucky.com

Well, it figured that one of the weirdest weeks ever in Washington State football would be climaxed by a madcap finish. seattletimes.nwsource.com

Climax native to enter Atlanta Country Music Hall of Honor. thepostsearchlight.com

The latest opus by this electronic-music hero is a state-of-the-art symphony that opens with the bustling "Guilford Avenue Bridge" and climaxes with a four-part "USA" suite. cleveland.com

Sawyer takes his series to the inevitable climax. innipegfreepress.com

Further thanks that the climax was quick and clean. onlineathens.com

In the movie's climax, thugs try to throw her out of the factory. northcoastjournal.com

As you might remember, in the final scene set in the Roman Colosseum the evil emperor having wounded the gladiator-hero while the hero was immobilized in chains, then fights the thus disadvantaged hero in the dramatic climax. kitsapsun.com

Other than its hilarious climax, in which all the strings of the farce come together in a brilliant tour de force, perhaps the best scene in Crazy, Stupid Love comes when Ryan Gosling tries, with limited success, to seduce Emma Stone. toledoblade.com

Climax celebrates Flag Day . thepostsearchlight.com

A young mother of five said she will never forgive herself for beating her 2-year-old daughter because she was struggling with potty training in an angry attack that climaxed with her gluing the toddler's hands to the wall. philly.com

DALLAS (AP) — A young mother of five said she will never forgive herself for beating her 2-year-old daughter because she was struggling with potty training in an angry attack that climaxed with her gluing the toddler's hands to the wall. cherokeetribune.com

Usage in scientific papers

The matter came to a climax at the time of La Thuille 2000 conference when the SM fit of the whole set of available electroweak precision data became absolutely perfect: χ2 /nd.o.f . ≈ 15/14.
Extra Generations, Discrepancies of Electroweak Precision Data and Mass of the Higgs

To relate to Cosmic Ray flux variations, we use the ionchamber data and the neutron monitor data in Climax quoted in Svensmark .
The Spiral Structure of the Milky Way, Cosmic Rays, and Ice Age Epochs on Earth

Together with the ratio of the fluxes in Climax and in Huancayo/Haleakala , one can obtain that the 0.2◦K drop correlated with an increase of about 1.5% in the CR flux at Huancayo/Haleakala that presumably is responsible for the cloud cover effect.
The Spiral Structure of the Milky Way, Cosmic Rays, and Ice Age Epochs on Earth

Moreover, the index has crossed over the resisting L8 line and has continued to elevate towards the climax, as can be observed in Fig. 11.
Analysis of the trends in the index of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

However, this claim was revised as “Perhaps these fluctuations signal a transition to a different regime, to be seen in the coming years” in . The Dow has risen and formed the climax after those papers have been published and fallen to test the prices lower than $7000 in March 2009.
Analysis of the trends in the index of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Usage in literature

Of course Jennie's departure from Cleveland brought the affairs of the Gerhardt family to a climax. "Jennie Gerhardt" by Theodore Dreiser

This was the climax of strain for Pan. "Valley of Wild Horses" by Zane Grey

The real climax was to come after all. "The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII)" by Various

As a climax, marriage had "happened" to him, and he was braced for whatever might happen next. "Rope" by Holworthy Hall

The climax came when he asked to be excused from the Moore cotillion because he had three other dances for that week. "The Wall Street Girl" by Frederick Orin Bartlett

The big Earp-Clanton feud was nearing its climax. "When the West Was Young" by Frederick R. Bechdolt

The previous night had furnished the climax, a painful climax, to all he had learned of his brother's doings, of his brother's guilt. "The Law-Breakers" by Ridgwell Cullum

All things seem to work confusedly for evil, and this caps the climax of Ecclesiastes's misery. "Old Groans and New Songs" by F. C. Jennings

The rhododendrons were at the climax of their June glory. "" by E.W. Hornung

I fancy Juffrouw Laps would have made a pretty face if she had learned of this interpretation of her mysterious climax. "Walter Pieterse" by Multatuli

Usage in poetry
Nimble as a noun,
He catabpults in air;
A planetary swoon
Could climax his career.
The climax came - one fatal evening
For my latchkey I started to forage
Through the keyhole I yelled to Tallulah
"Has anyone been at my porridge?"
Yet was it not that day of Fate,
Of cruelty insane,
Climaxing centuries of hate
That woke our souls to pain!
And are we not the living seed
Of those who did the deed!
Ah, Life, you may torture my soul, betray me,
The right is yours, as Lover and Lord.
And when in the climax of all, you slay me,
My lips in dying will seek your sword.
Into all the onward current and this iron time that feels
Its own way with din and clamour through this century of ours
Come I, while the toiling planet like some stricken monster reels
In an overheat to reach the very climax of its powers.
Proud as a prince was Billie, bang in the footlights' glare,
And quaking for him was Millie, as she followed every word;
Then just as he reached the climax, ranting and sawing the air -
Ugh! How it makes me shudder! The horrible thing occurred…