cli·max (klī'măks')
n.

1. The point of greatest intensity or force in an ascending series or progression; a culmination. See synonyms at summit.
2. 1. A series of statements or ideas in an ascending order of rhetorical force or intensity.
   2. The final statement in such a series.
3. 1. A moment of great or culminating intensity in a narrative or drama, especially the conclusion of a crisis.
   2. The turning point in a plot or dramatic action.
4. See orgasm (sense 1).
5. A stage in ecological development in which a community of organisms, especially plants, is stable and capable of perpetuating itself. Also called climax community.

tr. & intr.v., -maxed, -max·ing, -max·es.
To bring to or reach a climax.

[Latin clīmax, rhetorical climax, from Greek klīmax, ladder.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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