Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLI-MA-TIC'I-TY, n.

The property of climatizing.

CLI'MA-TIZE, v.i.

To become accustomed to a new climate; as, plants will climatize in foreign countries.

CLI'MA-TIZE, v.t.

To accustom to a new climate, as a plant.

CLI'MA-TIZ-ED, pp.

Accustomed to a new climate.

CLI-MA-TOL'O-GY, n. [Gr. κλιμα and λογος.]

A description of climates; or an account of the different climates of the earth.

CLI'MA-TURE, n.

A climate. [Little used.] – Shak.

CLI'MAX, n. [Gr. κλιμαξ, a scale or ladder; L. climax, perhaps from the root of the W. llamu, to step, stride, leap, llam, a step, stride, leap. Ir. leimim, leim, or from the root of climb.]

1. Gradation; ascent; a figure of rhetoric, in which a sentence rises as it were, step by step; or in which the expression which ends one member of the period, begins the second, and so on, till the period is finished; as in the following: “When we have practiced good actions a while, they become easy; and when they are easy, we begin to take pleasure in them; and when they please us, we do them frequently; and by frequency of acts, they grow into a habit.” Tillotson.
2. A sentence, or series of sentences, in which the successive members or sentences rise in force, importance or dignity, to the close of the sentence or series. – Dryden.

CLIMB, v.i. [clime; pret. and pp. climbed, or clomb, but the latter is not elegant. Sax. climan, or climban; D. klimen; G. id. The corresponding word in Dan. is klyver; Sw. klifwa.]

1. To creep up by little and little, or step by step; to mount or ascend, by means of the hands and feet; to rise on any fixed object, by seizing it with the hands and lifting the body, and by thrusting with the feet; as, to climb a tree or a precipice. And he ran before and climbed up into a sycamore tree. – Luke xix.
2. To mount or ascend with labor and difficulty. Shak.
3. To rise or ascend with a slow motion. Black vapors climb aloft. – Dryden.

CLIMB, v.t.

1. To ascend by means of the hands and feet, implying labor, difficulty, and slow progress; as, to climb a wall, or a steep mountain. – Prior.
2. To mount or ascend, with labor or a slow motion; as, to climb the ascents of fame. – Prior.

CLIMB'A-BLE, a.

That may be climbed. – Sherwood.

CLIMB'ED, pp.

Ascended by the use of the hands and feet; ascended with labor.

CLIMB'ER, n.

1. One who climbs, mounts or rises, by the hands and feet; one who rises by labor or effort.
2. A plant that creeps and rises on some support. – Mortimer.
3. An order of birds that climb, as the wood-pecker. They have two toes before and two behind.

CLIMB'ER, v.i. [from climb, or a different orthography of clamber.]

To climb; to mount with effort. [Not used.] – Tusser.

CLIMB'ING, n.

The act of ascending.

CLIMB'ING, ppr.

Ascending by the use of the hands and feet; ascending with difficulty.

CLIME, n. [from climate, or directly from Gr. and L. clima.]

A climate; a tract or region of the earth; a poetical word, but sometimes used in prose. [See Climate.] Whatever clime the sun's bright circle warms. – Milton.

CLINCH, n.

1. A word used in a double meaning; a pun; an ambiguity; a duplicity of meaning, with identity of expression. – Johnson. Here one poor word a hundred clinches makes. – Pope.
2. A witty, ingenious reply. – Bailey.
3. In seamen's language, the part of a cable which is fastened to the ring of an anchor; a kind of knot and seizings, used to fasten a cable to the ring of an anchor, and the breeching of a gun to the ring bolts in a ship's side. – Mar. Dict.

CLINCH, v.t. [D. klinken, to clink or rivet; klink, a latch, a rivet; Dan. klinke, a latch; Sw. klinka; Fr. clenche; allied to cling, link, W. clicied, a latch.]

1. To gripe with the hand; to make fast by bending over, folding, or embracing closely. Thus, to clinch a nail, is to bend the point and drive it closely. To clinch the hand or fist, is to contract the fingers closely into the palm of the hand. To clinch an instrument, is to close the fingers and thumb round it, and hold it fast.
2. To fix or fasten; to make firm; as, to clinch an argument.

CLINCH'ED, pp.

Made fast by doubling or embracing closely.

CLINCH'ER, n.

1. That which clinches; a cramp or piece of iron bent down to fasten any thing. – Pope.
2. One who makes a smart reply. – Bailey.
3. That which makes fast.

CLINCH'ER-BUILT, or CLINK'ER-BUILT, a.

Made of clincher work.

CLINCH'ER-WORK, n.

In ship building, the disposition of the planks in the side of a boat or vessel, when the lower edge of every plank overlays the next below it, like slates on the roof of a house. – Mar. Dict.

CLINCH'ING, ppr.

Making fast by doubling over or embracing closely; griping with the fist.

CLING, v.i. [pret. and pp. clung. Sax. clingan, to adhere and to wither; Dan. klynger, to grow in clusters; klynge, a heap or cluster. See the transitive verb below.]

1. To adhere closely; to stick to; to hold fast upon, especially by winding round or embracing; as, the tendril of a vine clings to its support. Two babes of love close clinging to her waist. – Pope.
2. To where closely; to stick to; as, a viscous substance. – Wiseman.
3. To adhere closely and firmly, in interest or affection; as, men of a party cling to their leader.

CLING, v.t.

To dry up, or wither. Till famine cling thee. – Shak. In Saxon, clingan is rendered to fade or wither, marcesco, as well as to cling. In this sense is used forclingan, pp. forclungen. The radical sense then appears to be, to contract or draw together; and drying, withering, is expressed by shrinking. [The latter use of the word is obsolete.]