climax

/ˈklī-ˌmaks/

Late Latin, from Greek klimax, literally, ladder, from klinein to lean

noun

  1. a figure of speech in which a series of phrases or sentences is arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness

  2. the highest point : culmination

  3. the point of highest dramatic tension or a major turning point in the action (as of a play)

summit peak pinnacle climax apex acme culmination mean the highest point attained or attainable. summit implies the topmost level attainable. peak suggests the highest among other high points.

verb

  1. to bring to a climax

  2. to come to a climax

climaxed his boxing career with a knockout

noun

  1. the one of the ecological climaxes possible in a particular climatic area whose stability is directly due to the influence of climate