climate
Pronunciation: /ˈklʌɪmət/
noun
- the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period: our cold, wet climate
- a region with a particular climate: he had grown up in a hot climate
- the prevailing trend of public opinion or of another aspect of life: the current economic climate
Origin:
late Middle English: from Old French climat or late Latin clima, climat-, from Greek klima 'slope, zone', from klinein 'to slope'. The term originally denoted a zone of the earth between two lines of latitude, then any region of the earth, and later, a region considered with reference to its atmospheric conditions. Compare with clime