What does clime mean?
"Clime" is a literary noun denoting a region or country regarded in terms of its climate or weather — a warmer clime, a frozen clime, a foreign clime. The word entered English in the early seventeenth century from Latin "clima" and Greek "klima" (literally "slope" or "inclination"), the same source that gave us "climate." Over time, however, the two words diverged: "climate" became the ordinary term for prevailing weather conditions, while "clime" shifted to mean the region itself, often with an added sense of distance or otherness. Today it survives mainly in poetry, travel writing, and deliberately elevated prose, where phrases such as "sunnier climes" or "northern climes" evoke romance, adventure, or escape. Though rare in casual conversation, it remains instantly understood and lends writing a graceful, slightly antique flavor that plain words like "place" or "country" cannot supply.
nounA region considered with reference to its climate or weather; by extension, a land or country regarded in terms of its characteristic conditions. Now chiefly literary or poetic.
- A region or land considered in terms of its climate or weather conditions.
- (By extension) A place or country, especially viewed as foreign or distant.
"After years in the tropics, she found the northern clime bracing but bleak."
"The novel's hero sets off in search of sunnier climes."
"Penguins thrive in the frozen climes of the Antarctic."
The plural "climes" is common and idiomatic, especially in phrases referring to distant or foreign lands, such as "sunnier climes" or "tropical climes."
"Migratory birds flee the northern winter for southern climes."
Before we said "climate," English speakers said "clime" — and poets like Milton and Byron never quite let the older word die.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clime
"Clime" comes from Latin "clima," borrowed from Greek "klima," meaning literally a slope or inclination — originally referring to the angle at which the sun's rays strike a given latitude, hence a zone of the earth defined by its weather. It entered English in the early seventeenth century alongside its doublet "climate," which came through the same route but settled into the standard scientific sense. Cognates and derivatives sharing this root include "climate," "climatic," and "acclimatize."
How clime is actually used
"Clime" is distinctly literary and somewhat old-fashioned; it appears most often in poetry, travel writing, and elevated prose rather than everyday speech. It frequently occurs in the plural ("climes") when referring to distant or foreign lands, and carries a faintly romantic or exotic connotation.
Easily confused with clime
"Climb" is a verb meaning to ascend or go upward, while "clime" is a literary noun meaning a region defined by its climate.
"Climate" refers specifically to prevailing weather conditions, whereas "clime" more broadly denotes the region itself as characterized by those conditions.