climacteric
[ klahy-mak-ter-ik, klahy-mak-ter-ik ]
/ klaɪˈmæk tər ɪk, ˌklaɪ mækˈtɛr ɪk /
noun
Physiology.
a period of decrease of reproductive capacity in men and women, culminating, in women, in the menopause.
any critical period.
a year in which important changes in health, fortune, etc., are held by some theories to occur, as one's sixty-third year (grand climacteric).
the period of maximum respiration in a fruit, during which it becomes fully ripened.
adjective
Also cli·mac·ter·i·cal
[klahy-mak-ter-i-kuh l] /ˌklaɪ mækˈtɛr ɪ kəl/.
critical; crucial.
Origin of climacteric
OTHER WORDS FROM climacteric
cli·mac·ter·i·cal·ly, adverbWords nearby climacteric
cliffs notes,
cliffside park,
cliffy,
clift,
clifton,
climacteric,
climactic,
climant,
climate,
climate canary,
climate change
Example sentences from the Web for climacteric
British Dictionary definitions for climacteric
climacteric
/ (klaɪˈmæktərɪk, ˌklaɪmækˈtɛrɪk) /
noun
a critical event or period
another name for menopause
the period in the life of a man corresponding to the menopause, chiefly characterized by diminished sexual activity
botany
the period during which certain fruits, such as apples, ripen, marked by a rise in the rate of respiration
adjective Also: climacterical (ˌklaɪmækˈtɛrɪkəl)
involving a crucial event or period
Derived forms of climacteric
climacterically, adverbWord Origin for climacteric
C16: from Latin
clīmactēricus, from Greek
klimaktērikos, from
klimakter rung of a ladder, from
klimax ladder; see
climax
Medical definitions for climacteric
climacteric
[ klī-măk′tər-ĭk, klī′măk-tĕr′ĭk ]
n.
menopause
perimenopause
The period in a man's life corresponding to female menopause, characterized by decreased libido.