declination
/ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/
noun
Origin
Latin
declinare — to bend down, turn aside, or deviate
Overview
Meaning Now
- The angular distance of a point north or south of the celestial equator.
- A downward movement or a sloping or bending downward.
- A formal refusal or act of declining something.
Literal older meaning
a bending or leaning down
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
declinacioun
Earliest period
late 14th century
Journey
The term was initially borrowed into English through Middle French to describe astronomical positioning and physical motion. Its use expanded into political and linguistic contexts in the 16th century, referring to the 'decline' or inflection of words, although 'declension' eventually became the standard term for the latter.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*klei-
“to lean”
- Latin
declinare
“to bend away, deviate”
Prefix de- (down) + clinare (to lean)
- Old French
declination
“bending, deflection”
- Middle English
declinacioun
“astronomical angle, deviation”
- Early Modern English
declination
“the current range of senses”
Connections
Word parts
de-
prefix
down, away
clin-
root
to lean
-ation
suffix
process or state
Related across languages
French
déclinaison
declination, declension
Spanish
declinación
declination
Related words
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Related to declination
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.