Cli"max (?), n. [L., from Gr. ?
ladder, staircase, fr. ? to make to bend, to lean. See
Ladder, Lean, v. i.]
1. Upward movement; steady increase;
gradation; ascent. Glanvill.
2. (Rhet.) A figure in which the
parts of a sentence or paragraph are so arranged that each
succeeding one rises above its predecessor in
impressiveness.
"Tribulation worketh patience, patience
experience, and experience hope" -- a happy climax.
J. D. Forbes.
3. The highest point; the greatest
degree.
We must look higher for the climax of
earthly good.
I. Taylor.
To cap the climax, to surpass
everything, as in excellence or in absurdity. [Colloq.]