# climacteric

> English word · Adjective · IPA /klʌɪmakˈtɛɹɪk/

## Definitions
1. Pertaining to any of several supposedly critical years of a person's life.
2. Critical or crucial; decisive.
3. Relating to a period of physiological change during middle age; especially, menopausal.
4. Climactic.
5. (of fruit) That continues to ripen after being harvested.

## Etymology
From Latin clīmactēricus, from Koine Greek κλιμακτηρικός (klimaktērikós), from κλιμακτήρ (klimaktḗr, “scale, progression, gradation”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/climacteric