Decline

de-klīn′, v.i. to bend or turn away from (a straight line); to deviate: to refuse: to bend down: to fail or decay: to stoop or condescend: to draw to an end.— v.t. to bend down: to turn away from: to refuse: to avoid: ( gram. ) to give the changes of a word in the oblique cases.— n. a falling off: deviation: decay: a gradual sinking of the bodily faculties, consumption.— adjs. Declin′able , having inflection for the oblique cases; Declī′nal , bending downward; Dec′linant ( her. ), having the tail hanging down—also Dec′livant .— ns. Declinā′tion , act of declining: a sloping or bending downward: deviation: ( astron. ) distance from the celestial equator; Dec′linātor , an instrument determining declination.— adj. Declin′atory , containing a declination or refusal— ns. Declin′ature , act of declining or refusing: ( law ) a plea declining the jurisdiction of a judge; Declinom′eter , an instrument for measuring the declination of the compa —i.e. the deviation of the magnetic needle from the true north. [Fr. décliner —L. de , down, away from, clināre , to bend. See Lean .]