climacteric

1 of 2

adjective

cli·​mac·​ter·​ic klī-ˈmak-t(ə-)rik 

ˌklī-ˌmak-ˈter-ik,

-ˈtir-

1

: constituting or relating to a climacteric

2

: critical, crucial

climacteric

2 of 2

noun

1

: a major turning point or critical stage

2

a

: menopause sense 1

b

: andropause

3

: the marked and sudden rise in the respiratory rate of fruit just prior to full ripening

Did you know?

Climacteric comes from the Greek word klimaktēr, meaning "critical point" or, literally, "rung of a ladder." English speakers have long used climacteric for those inevitable big moments encountered on the metaphorical ladder of life. The major climacterics in a person’s life were once thought to happen in years denoted by multiples of 7 or 9 or only in the odd multiples of 7 (7, 21, 35, etc.). The grand (or great) climacteric was held to occur in the 63rd (7 x 9) or the 81st (9 x 9) year of life. Today, climacteric can refer to male or female menopause, which typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, but the general "turning point" sense is not usually tied to a specific age.

Synonyms

Adjective

• apocalyptic
• apocalyptical
• climactic

Noun

• climax
• corner
• landmark
• milepost
• milestone
• turning point
• watershed

Examples of climacteric in a Sentence

Adjective

as the war reached its climacteric phase, the atrocities dramatically increased, both in number and brutality

Noun

historians attempting to pinpoint the Roman Empire's climacteric, that precise moment when it began its long downhill slide

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For this reader, roughly the same age as Sam Raymond, there is uncommon pleasure in the paradoxes of this climacteric tale. —Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine, 22 June 2021

Macerating unripe climacteric fruit in sugar, however, isn’t a substitute for ripening them; that just takes time in your kitchen counter’s fruit basket. —Bill St. John, The Denver Post, 8 May 2017

Noun

These are called climacteric, and will respond to the presence of ethylene by producing more ethylene. —Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 31 May 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin climactericus, from Greek klimaktērikos, from klimaktēr critical point, literally, rung of a ladder, from klimak-, klimax ladder

First Known Use

Adjective

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Definition

climacteric

1 of 2 adjective

cli·​mac·​ter·​ic klī-ˈmak-t(ə-)rik, ˌklī-ˌmak-ˈter-ik 

: constituting or characterized by the climacteric

the climacteric state

climacteric

2 of 2 noun

1

: menopause sense 1a(2)

2

: andropause