different between climax vs cliffhanger
climax
English
Etymology
From Latin cl?max, from Ancient Greek ?????? (klîmax, “ladder, staircase, [rhetorical] climax”), from ????? (klín?, “I lean, slant”).
Pronunciation
- enPR: kl??-m?ks IPA(key): /?kla?mæks/
- Rhymes: -a?mæks
Noun
climax (countable and uncountable, plural climaxes or (rare) climaces)
- (originally rhetoric) A rhetorical device in which a series is arranged in ascending order.
- (obsolete) An instance of such an ascending series.
- 1781, John Moore, A view of society and manners in Italy, Vol. I, Ch. vi, p. 63:
- ...Expressions for the whole Climax of sensibility...
- 1781, John Moore, A view of society and manners in Italy, Vol. I, Ch. vi, p. 63:
- (narratology) The culmination of a narrative's rising action, the turning point.
- (now commonly) A culmination or acme: the last term in an ascending series, particularly:
- 1789, Trifler, 448, No. XXXV:
- In the accomplishment of this, they frequently reach the climax of absurdity.
- (rhetoric, imprecise) The final term of a rhetorical climax.
- 1856, Ralph Waldo Emerson, English Traits, Ch. ix, p. 147:
- When he adds epithets of praise, his climax is ‘so English’.
- 1856, Ralph Waldo Emerson, English Traits, Ch. ix, p. 147:
- (ecology) The culmination of ecological development, whereby species are in equilibrium with their environment.
- 1915 July 17, Bulletin of the Illinois State Laboratory:
- The succession of associations leading to a climax represents the process of adjustment to the conditions of stress, and the climax represents a condition of relative equilibrium. Climax associations... are the resultants of certain climatic, geological... conditions.
- 1915 July 17, Bulletin of the Illinois State Laboratory:
- The culmination of sexual pleasure, an orgasm.
- 1918, Marie Carmichael Stopes, Married love, 50:
- In many cases the man's climax comes so swiftly that the woman's reactions are not nearly ready.
- 1918, Marie Carmichael Stopes, Married love, 50:
- 1789, Trifler, 448, No. XXXV:
Synonyms
- (rhetorical device): incrementum; (imprecise): auxesis, catacosmesis
- (culmination): See Thesaurus:apex
Antonyms
- (rhetorical device): catacosmesis
Derived terms
- climactic
- climax community
- monoclimax
- polyclimax
Related terms
- climacteric
Translations
See also
- anadiplosis
Verb
climax (third-person singular simple present climaxes, present participle climaxing, simple past and past participle climaxed)
- (transitive, intransitive) To reach or bring to a climax.
- 2018, Craig Snyder, The Boxers of Youngstown Ohio
- Frank had two bouts in October of 1954, losing them both, and then climaxed his career with a 6-round decision victory over Mickey Warner on December 1, 1954.
- 2018, Craig Snyder, The Boxers of Youngstown Ohio
- (intransitive) To orgasm; to reach orgasm.
Further reading
- climax in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- climax in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kli.maks/
Noun
climax m (uncountable)
- climax (all senses)
Derived terms
- anteclimax
- climacique
- conclimax
- paraclimax
- peniclimax
- subclimax
Romanian
Etymology
From French climax.
Noun
climax n (plural climaxuri)
- climax
Declension
Spanish
Noun
climax m (plural climax)
- climax
climax From the web:
- what climax in a story
- what climax means
- what climax community
- what climaxing feels like
- what's climax
cliffhanger
English
Alternative forms
- cliff hanger, cliff-hanger
Etymology
From cliff +? hanger, evoking the image of someone left hanging from a cliff, thereby having an uncertain fate.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?kl?f?hæ?.?(?)/
Noun
cliffhanger (plural cliffhangers)
- (narratology) An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a story unresolved, in order to create suspense.
- 2007, Hilary Hylton, "Filming Texas in a Good Light," Time, 2 Jul.:
- Back in the early 80s, the hit series Dallas kept the nation guessing with its season-ending cliffhanger "Who Shot J.R.?"
- 2007, Hilary Hylton, "Filming Texas in a Good Light," Time, 2 Jul.:
- (by extension) An outcome which is awaited with keen anticipation, especially one which is delayed for a period of time or which is not known until the last minute.
- 2008, Timothy Garton Ash, "Russia has run rings round the west," Guardian (UK), 28 Feb. (retrieved 2 Feb. 2009):
- This presidential election is such a cliffhanger. Will it be the rising star Dmitry "Obamovich" Medvedev? Or the veteran Gennady "McCainovich" Zyuganov?
- 2008, Timothy Garton Ash, "Russia has run rings round the west," Guardian (UK), 28 Feb. (retrieved 2 Feb. 2009):
Antonyms
- anticlimax
Derived terms
- cliffhang
Related terms
- cliffhanging
Translations
See also
- cliffhanger on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Dangler (plot device) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
cliffhanger From the web:
- what cliffhanger means
- what's cliffhanger in french
- cliffhanger what does it means
- what is cliffhanger in a story
- what does cliffhanger mean in english
- what is cliffhanger rated
- what is cliffhanger in anime
- what do cliffhangers do
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