from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Climax \Cli"max\, n. [L., from Gr. ? ladder, staircase, fr. ? to
make to bend, to lean. See {Ladder}, {Lean}, v. i.]
1. Upward movement; steady increase; gradation; ascent.
--Glanvill.
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2. (Rhet.) A figure in which the parts of a sentence or
paragraph are so arranged that each succeeding one rises
above its predecessor in impressiveness.
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"Tribulation worketh patience, patience experience,
and experience hope" -- a happy climax. --J. D.
Forbes.
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3. The highest point; the greatest degree.
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We must look higher for the climax of earthly good.
--I. Taylor.
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{To cap the climax}, to surpass everything, as in excellence
or in absurdity. [Colloq.]
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