a. and sb. Forms: α. 6–7 cly-, cli-, -all, (7 climactrical), 7– climacterical. β. 6–7 climatericall, 7 clymat-, climaterical. [f. as prec. + -AL.]
A. adj.
1. = CLIMACTERIC A. 1; esp. applied to the ‘grand climacteric’ or 63rd year of life; see prec. B. 1.
1590. L. Lloyd, Dial Daies, Oct. 25. Georgius Castriotus … died upon this day in his climatericall year 63.
1602. W. Vaughan, Nat. Direct., 47. These they name climacterical or stayrie yeares, for then they saw great alterations. Now, a climactericall yeare is euery seauenth yeare.
1609. C. Butler, Fem. Mon., ii. (1623), E ij. This Climactericall number of nine times seven.
1611. Cotgr., L’an climactère, the climatericall yeare.
1693. W. Freke, Sel. Ess., iv. 23. Who but one that has more Fancy than Judgment would mind the Climacterical Years?
1839. De Quincey, Wordsworth, in Tait’s Mag., 10/1. An elderly man, who confessed to having passed the grand climacterical year (9 multiplied into 7) of 63.
b. Critical, dangerous; = CLIMACTERIC A. 1 b.
1622. Mabbe, trans. Aleman’s Guzman d’Alf., 116. They are commonly a kind of Climactericall and dangerous prattlers.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., II. xi. 95. The climactericall yeare of many churches … may seem to happen in our dayes; so old that their ruine is threatned if not speedily repaired.
1649. Selden, Laws Eng., II. i. (1739), 8. This was one of England’s Climacterical Years, under a Disease so desperate, that no hope was left but by a desperate Cure.
1832. Edin. Rev., LV. 534. The latter half of the thirteenth century was one of the climacterical periods of the history of Rome.
† 2. Relating to climax; = CLIMACTIC. Obs.
a. 1638. Mede, Wks., V. 918. The Seventh is the Climacterical Seal, sounding the warlike alarm to the Empire’s Ruine by Seven successive and languishing blows.
1653. A. Wilson, Jas. I., 103. Like Climatericall Diseases, take rest, and after some intermission break out again.
B. sb. † 1. = CLIMACTERIC B. 1. Obs.
1611. Cotgr., Climacterie de 63 ans, the Clymatericall, or dangerous yeare of 63, at which age diuers worthie men haue died.
1627. Hakewill, Apol., III. ii. § 1. The common clymactericall of al old men.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, III. vi. 333. Now past the fifth climactericall of his disease.
1702. C. Mather, Magn. Chr., III. II. xv. (1852), 430. He was come to that which we call, ‘the grand climacterical.’
† 2. transf. = CLIMACTERIC B. 2. Obs.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, III. iv. (1840), 121. War in the Low Countries hath already outlived the grand climacterical of three score and ten years. Ibid. (1655), Ch. Hist. VI. vii. Many Mitred Abbeys have survived the dangerous Climactericall of the third Generation.
Hence Climacterically adv.
1672. Sir T. Browne, Lett. to Friend, § 28 (1881), 146. Climacterically old.
