declino

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [deːˈkliː.noː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [deˈkliː.no]^[1]

Forms

dēclīnō (present infinitive dēclīnāre, perfect active dēclīnāvī, supine dēclīnātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from dē- “down, away” and ⟨*clīnō⟩ “to bend, incline”, found in acclīnō, related to Ancient Greek κλίνω (klínō, “to bend”).^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gaffiot cites Plautus, sē dēclīnāre extrā viam “to turn aside from the road”.^[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to turn aside, deflect, divert, and intransitively to deviate, swerve, as in Cicero and Lucretius; to tilt downwards, as in Vitruvius; and in Apuleius to sink down.^[2][4] Cicero also used it for avoiding or dodging something and for stepping aside from a course of conduct.^[2] In grammar, from Varro on, it meant to change the form of a word, to inflect.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to incline, lean to one side, step aside, turn away.^[6] English decline came through Old French decliner in the late 14th century.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of turning aside.^[4][5]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of inflecting words.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of avoiding.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English decline is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To turn aside, deflect; to deviate, swerve.^[2]
2. To tilt downwards; to sink down, decline.^[2]
3. To avoid, dodge; to step aside from.^[2]
4. (grammar) To inflect, change the form of a word.^[2]

Word family

• condeclino
• declinabilis
• dēclīnātiō
• dēclīnātus
• dēclīnis
• indēclīnātus

Related words

• dēclivis
• acclīnō
• inclīnō
• English decline

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com