climax
/ˈklaɪmæks/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
κλῖμαξ — ladder, staircase
Overview
Meaning Now
- The most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.
- A rhetorical figure of speech in which a series of statements are arranged in ascending order of importance or intensity.
Literal older meaning
ladder
Language path
Ancient Greek → New Latin → English
Earliest form
climax
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The term originated as a technical rhetorical term (specifically, a type of 'gradatio' or ascending arrangement of clauses) before evolving in the 19th century to denote the peak of any narrative, process, or experience.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
κλῖμαξ (klîmax)
“ladder, staircase”
Derived from κλίνειν (to lean, slope).
- Late Latin
climax
“gradation, figure of speech”
Adopted into Latin rhetoric to describe a sequence of statements.
- English, 16th century
climax
“rhetorical device”
Initially restricted to literary criticism.
- English, 19th century
climax
“most intense point”
Generalized to describe dramatic, emotional, or physical peaks.
Connections
Word parts
κλῖμαξ
root
ladder
Related across languages
Ancient Greek
κλίνειν
to lean or slope
Latin
clinare
to lean
Explore next
Related to climax
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.