climacteric Hear it!

climacteric Definition

cli·mac·teric (klī mak′tər ik, klī′mak ter′ik)

noun

  1. a period in the life of a person when an important physiological change occurs; specif., the period of menopause
  2. any crucial period

Etymology: L climactericus < Gr klimaktērikos < klimaktēr, round of a ladder < klimax, ladder: see climax

adjective

of or resembling a climacteric; crucial
also climacterical cli′·mac·ter′i·cal
climacteric Synonyms

climacteric

n.

trial, crucial period, crux, menopause; see crisis, emergency.

climacteric Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • call: All fruits that ripen in response to ethene show a characteristic rise in respiratory rate before the ripening phase, called a climacteric.

Modifies a noun

  • symptom: REFERENCES Greene, J. G. ( 1976 ) A factor analytic study of climacteric symptoms.
  • fruit: The other major exception is climacteric fruits, in which a marked rise in respiratory rate accompanies ripening.
  • syndrome: Vitamin E and climacteric syndrome: failure of effective control as measured by menopausal index.
  • complaint: Black cohosh and St. John's wort for climacteric complaints: a randomized trial.