Other forms: climates
Climate is the usual weather of a place measured over many years. A dry climate, a temperate climate, the climate of the region.
Weather is what happens this afternoon; climate is the pattern over decades. Climate change is the standard term for the current warming of the planet, and climate crisis and climate emergency are used to convey urgency. The word also means a general atmosphere or mood: the political climate, a climate of fear, in the current economic climate. Note climatic, meaning to do with climate, against climactic, which is about a climax.
1nounclimateThe usual weather of a place over many years.
“The climate there is dry for nine months of the year.”
2noungeneralA general atmosphere or mood.
“In the current climate nobody is hiring.”
climate is a long-term pattern.
Greek klima meant a slope or region of the earth, defined by its angle to the sun — the ancients understood that latitude decides temperature. Climate is therefore named after the tilt of the planet, which is exactly right.
Proto-Indo-European
*ḱley-
Ancient Greek
κλίμα — latitude
Latin
clima
Old French
climat
Middle English
climat
English, today
climate
From Middle English climat, from Old French climat, from Latin clima, from Ancient Greek κλίμα (“latitude”) literally “inclination”.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA