Definition of "climate" []

• The meteorological conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and wind, that characteristically prevail in a particular region. (noun)
• A region of the earth having particular meteorological conditions: lives in a cold climate. (noun)
• A prevailing condition or set of attitudes in human affairs: a climate of unrest. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Yet, despite this recent report, and despite all we do know about climate change, the topic has become the C-word in Washington, D.C. Just as the term "global warming" fell out of favor, the term "climate change" is now one that few in our nation's capital dare bring up in conversation, much less in legislation."
• "As with religion, its claims are often non-falsifiable, hence the convenience of the term "climate change" when thermometers don't oblige the expected trend lines."
• "Although the term climate is highly abstract and behavioral scientists have had great difficulty measuring it, we can identify some basic features, or clues, by which we can assess the climate of a typical organization and that we can use as guides for improving it."