declination
/ˌdɛklɪˈneɪʃən/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.37 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The gradual decline in the overall fundamental frequency or pitch of speech over the course of an utterance, independent of local variations such as tones and pitch accents.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The act or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline.
Archaic; Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "the queen's declination from marriage"
- "declination of the head"
- "the declination of monarchy"
- "Summer […] is not looked on as a time of declination or decay."
- "this declination of atoms in their descent"
- "November 2, 1690, Robert South, Sinners Inexcusable from Natural Religion Only every violation of and declination from the rules"
Etymology
From Middle English declinacioun, borrowed from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio. Doublet of declension.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *ḱley-, declinacioun, declination, declinatio