Etymology

anticlimax

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Today it means: A failed or reverse climax, particularly Full definition →

English climax ← Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énti
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓ντῐ́ (ăntĭ́)
  5. Ancient Greekἀντι- (anti-)
  6. Englishanti-
  7. Englishclimax
  8. English todayanticlimax

From anti- + climax.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.