declension (deklenshon)

[An accom.form Robin Hood and the Shepherd (Child's Ballads, V. 238). (term. after extension, etc.) of OF. dec lin a is on The heavens declare the glory of God. I will declare what he hath done for my soul. Ps. xix. 1. (F. déclinaison ), the same word as dec lin as i on , dec linac i on, F. déclination, E. declination, declinatio (n-), a bending aside, inflection, declension, dec lin are , bend, decline: see decline and declination .] 1. A sloping downward; a declination; a descent; a slope; a declivity. The declension of the land from that place to the sea. T. Burnet , Theory of the Earth. Who shall then declare The date of thy deep-founded strength? Bryant, The Ages, xxxv. 3. To proclaim; announce. I return'd in the evening with Sr Joseph Williams on, now declar'd Secretary of State. Evelyn , Diary, July 22, 1674. 4. To a ert; affirm: as, he declares the story to be false. He says some of the best things in the world - and de clareth that wit is his aversion. Lamb, My Relations. 5. In law, to solemnly a ert a fact before witne es: as, he declared a paper signed by him to be his last will and testament. - 6. To make a full statement of, as of goods on which duty is to be paid at the custom-house. A merchant of that guild cannot declare at the customhouse merchandise brought in one ship-load or land-conveyance of higher value than £2000. Brougham. To declare a dividend. See dividend. - To declare one's self, to throw off reserve and avow one's opinions; show openly what one thinks, or which side one espouses. We are a considerable body, who, upon a proper oссаsion, would not fail to declare ourselves. Add is on. To declare war, to make a declaration of war (which see, under declaration ). =Syn. 2-4. Proclaim, Publish, etc. (see announce ); Affirm, Aver, etc. (see a ert ); state, protest, utter, promulgate. II. in trans. 1. To make known one's thoughts or opinions; proclaim or avow some opinion, purpose, or resolution in favor or in opposition; make known explicitly some determination; make a declaration; come out with for or against : as, the prince declared for the allies; victory had not declared for either party; the allied powers declared against France. The internal faculties of will and understanding decreeJer. Taylor. ing and declaring against them. Like fawning courtiers, for succe they wait; And then come smiling, and declare for fate. Dryden. Specifically-2. To expre a formal decision; make a decision known by official proclamation IMG:content-2169.png:[blocks in formation] 3. In law, to make a declaration or complaint; set forth formally in pleading the cause for relief against the defendant: as, the plaintiff declared on a promi ory note.-4. In the game of bezique, to lay on the table, face up, any counting-cards or combinations of cards; show cards for the purpose of scoring. - To declare off. (a) To refuse to cooperate in any undertaking; break off one's engagements, etc. (b) To decide against continuing a habit or practice; break away from a custom: as, to declare off from smoking. [Colloq.] IMG:content-2170.png:[blocks in formation] IMG:content-2171.png:[blocks in formation] being declared. declare ment (dē-klar'ment), n. [ A declare ment of very different parts. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., ii. 1. declarer (dē-klar'ėr), n. One who makes known, proclaims, or publishes; one who or that which exhibits or explains. 2. A sinking or falling into a lower or inferior state; deterioration; decline. In the latter date and declension of his drooping years. South, Sermons. We never read that Jesus laughed, and but once that he rejoiced in spirit; but the declensions of our natures cannot bear the weight of a perpetual grave deportment. Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), I. 24. States and empires have their periods of declension. Sterne, Sentimental Journey, p. 79. But the fall, the rapid and total declension , of Wilkes's fame, the utter oblivion into which his very name has pa ed for all purposes save the remembrance of his vices, this affords also a salutary le on to the followers of the multitude. Brougham , John Wilkes. 3. Refusal; non-acceptance. Declension is improperly used to signify the act of declining. It is a good word to expre a state of decline or the proce of decline. But we cannot say, "He sent in his declension of the office." I do not find it (in this sense) in the works of the first cla of English authors. We need a word to expre the act in question; we have none but the participle "declining." "Declinature" may yet make its way into reputable use. Phelps , Eng. Style, p. 362. 4. In gram.: (a) The inflection of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives; strictly, the deviation of other forms of such a word from that of its nominative case; in general, the formation of the various cases from the stem, or from the nominative singular as representing it: thus, in English, man, man's, men, men's; in Latin, rex, reg is, reg i, regem, rege, in the singular, and reges, regum, regibus, in the plural. (b) The rehearsing of a word as declined; the act of declining a word, as a noun. (c) A cla of nouns declined on the same type: as, first or second declension; the five Latin declensions. Abbreviated decl. - Declension of the needle. See declensional (dē-klen's hon-al), a. [ IMG:content-2172.png:[blocks in formation] declericalize (de-kler'i-kal-iz), v. t.; pret. and pp. declericalized, ppr. declericalizing. [ noun. In inflected languages, declinable words... usually have endings which not only determine their grammatical cla and category, but are also characteristic of the language to which they belong. G. P. Marsh, Lects. on Eng. Lang., vii. declinal (de-klīnal), a. [ acclinal.