1540s, "a tract or region of the earth," shortening of climate (or a nativization of Latin clima). It might usefully take up the old, abandoned "horizontal region of the earth" sense of climate, but it is used chiefly by the poets, and they display no evident agreement on what they mean by it.
plants from a cold clime travel best in winter
climatology
climax
climb
climbable
climber
clime
clinch
clincher
cline
cling
clingstone