climacteric
/klʌɪmakˈtɛɹɪk/
"climacteric" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“climacteric” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to any of several supposedly critical years of a person's life.
Corpus desk
Index EN-climacteric · climacteric · English
climacteric · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | climacteric |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /klʌɪmakˈtɛɹɪk/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “climacteric” in English
Rare enough to double-check
climacteric is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /klʌɪmakˈtɛɹɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for climacteric, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin clīmactēricus, from Koine Greek κλιμακτηρικός (klimaktērikós), from κλιμακτήρ (klimaktḗr, “scale, progression, gradation”). The correct English form is climacteric, spelled C-L-I-M-A-C-T-E-R-I-C.
Definition
- 1Pertaining to any of several supposedly critical years of a person's life.
- 2Critical or crucial; decisive.
- 3Relating to a period of physiological change during middle age; especially, menopausal.
- 4Climactic.
- 5(of fruit) That continues to ripen after being harvested.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how climacteric appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Closely parallel to the belief in unlucky days was the notion of climacteric years, those periodic dates in a man's life which were potential turning-points in his health and fortune.
Asari pass through three climacteric life stages, marked by biochemical and physiological changes. The Maiden stage begins at birth and is marked by the drive to explore and experience. Most young asari are curious and restless. The Matron stage of life begins around the age of 350, though it can be triggered earlier if the individual melds frequently. Th…
Etymology
From Latin clīmactēricus, from Koine Greek κλιμακτηρικός (klimaktērikós), from κλιμακτήρ (klimaktḗr, “scale, progression, gradation”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.