preclimax: Meaning and Definition of

pre•cli•max

Pronunciation: (prē-klī'maks), [key]
— n. Ecol.
  1. a stable community that precedes the full development of the climax community of a given area and that results from local variations in soil and water.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.