Plain English Meaning
How steeply the airplane is going up. A high angle of climb means the airplane is gaining a lot of height in a short horizontal distance.
Full Definition
The angle between the airplane's flight path and the horizontal during a climb. It expresses how steeply the airplane is gaining altitude relative to the ground covered, not how fast it is gaining altitude over time.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft performance discussions, especially when choosing a climb after takeoff to clear obstacles.
Derivation
From Latin angulus (a corner) and climb from Old English climban (to ascend by gripping). Together they describe the slope of the upward path the airplane is tracing through the .