Climactic
/klaɪˈmæk.tɪk/noun
Relating to or forming the highest point of intensity or action in a series or sequence.
Did you know?Climactic comes from the same ancient root as *climax*, originally from Greek *klímax* meaning “ladder,” a word that later became a metaphor for the highest point of tension.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to rise, be elevated”
Ancient Greek
Greek
klímax (κλῖμαξ)
“ladder, staircase”
Late Latin
Latin
climax
“ladder; rhetorical climax”
17th–18th Century
English
climax
“the highest point in a sequence or argument”
19th Century
English
climactic
“relating to the climax; reaching the peak”