climacteric

Tomatoes are climacteric, meaning they will continue to ripen after they are picked.

These are called climacteric, and will respond to the presence of ethylene by producing more ethylene.

The timing of the “climacteric” — Sam prefers the medical term, more suitably dramatic — comes as its own kind of cruelty.

“The climacteric marks the end of apologising. The chrysalis of conditioning has once and for all to break and the female woman finally to emerge.”

Mr. Broadbent said, in a subsequent statement, that he had been trying to explain the word “climacteric,” used by economic historians to describe a period of low productivity growth during the 19th century.