| 词组 | climax |
| 释义 | climax Theodore Bernstein knew the etymology of climax—it comes from a Greek word meaning "ladder"—and from his knowledge of the Greek he reached the conclusion that the English word could not properly mean "highest point, culmination, acme, apex," which is, of course, precisely what it means to most people. The issue seems to have been first discovered by Hodgson 1889; it is repeated in Allbutt, Notes on the Composition of Scientific Papers ( 1923), F. K. Ball, Constructive English ( 1923), and G. M. Hyde, Handbook for Newspaper Workers (1926). Perhaps Bernstein picked up the topic from Hyde. Allbutt calls the use "a modern abuse unknown to Samuel Johnson." Unknown to Johnson it certainly was; the earliest OED citation for the "acme" sense is dated 1789. The date, however, suggests that the use was not especially modern even in 1923. Copperud 1970, 1980 and Bryson 1984 tend to think Bernstein a little far-out; they go along with the recognition of the meaning in Evans 1957, Fowler 1965, and all dictionaries. You need not give climax a second thought. The ety-mologically pure meaning exists only as a technical term in rhetoric. Bryson 1984 adds a curious note of his own, saying that "the authorities" agree that climax should not be used as a verb and that it should not be used to indicate a lowest point. "The authorities" for the second objection seem to be Bryson himself and Bernstein 1962, 1965. Bernstein used the same example from the New York Times in both books. We have not been able to locate any other unmistakable examples, although one of Hodgson's cited authors (from 1826) could be so interpreted. A use of climax meaning "nadir" we conclude not to be a matter for serious concern; at least, evidence for it is hard to come by. And the only authority we have been able to discover who objects to climax as a verb is Bryson himself. OED evidence for the verb begins in the 1830s and 1840s. Our citations suggest it might have been a popular journalistic use earlier in this century: • Mrs. Hansel's appearance climaxed a day of sensational charges against the aged cult leader —Springfield (Mass.) Union, 27 May 1927 • The vote climaxed three hours of furious debate — Vancouver Star, 9 Feb. 1926 But even popular journalistic use seems to have drawn no comment until Bryson. In any case, use of the verb is also perfectly standard. |
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