Etymologically
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declino

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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
  • 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