Pronunciation: /klʌɪˈmakt(ə)rɪk, ˌklʌɪmakˈtɛrɪk/
noun
-
1a critical period or event: the first major climacteric in twentieth-century poetry
-
2 Medicine the period of life when fertility and sexual activity are in decline; (in women) menopause: most women do not experience significant psychological problems at the climacteric
-
3 Botany the ripening period of certain fruits such as apples, involving increased metabolism and only possible while still on the tree: ripening accompanied by a sharp rise in respiration, the so-called climacteric
adjective
-
1having extreme and far-reaching implications or results; critical: Britain must possess so climacteric a weapon in order to deter an atomically armed enemy
-
2 Medicine occurring at, characteristic of, or undergoing the climacteric; (in women) menopausal: every year adds new symptoms to climacteric syndrome
-
3 Botany (of a fruit) undergoing a climacteric: it doesn’t ripen off the tree, being a climacteric fruit
