decline

Pronunciation: /dɪˈklaɪn/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun change toward something smaller or lower
  2. noun a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state
  3. noun a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current

Etymology

From Middle English declinen, and ultimately Latin declīnō (“to bend, turn aside, deflect, inflect, decline”, from dē- (“down”) + clīnō (“to bend, to incline”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean). The senses arrived from two separate pathways in Middle English: * The grammatical sense came from Old English declīnian, which was borrowed directly from the Latin etymon. * All senses except the grammatical sense were derived from those of Old French decliner. Old French itself borrowed the verb from Latin.

In classic literature

Synonyms

diminution

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
decrease
Narrower (hyponyms)
detumescence, erosion, sinking spell, loss, nosedive, ebb

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