Climax \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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)