climacteric

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cli·mac·ter·ic / klīˈmaktərik; ˌklīmakˈterik/ • n. a critical period or event: the first major climacteric in twentieth-century poetry. ∎  Med. the period of life when fertility and sexual activity are in decline; (in women) menopause. ∎  Bot. the ripening period of certain fruits such as apples, involving increased metabolism and only possible while on the tree.• adj. having extreme and far-reaching implications or results; critical. ∎  Med. occurring at, characteristic of, or undergoing the climacteric; (in women) menopausal. ∎  Bot. (of a fruit) undergoing a climacteric.

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