Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Decline
De-cline′
,Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Declined
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Declining
.] [OE. ]
declinen
to bend down, lower, sink, decline (a noun), F. décliner
to decline, refuse, fr. L. declinare
to turn aside, inflect (a part of speech), avoid; de-
+ clinare
to incline; akin to E. lean
. See Lean
, Verb.
I.
1.
To bend, or lean downward; to take a downward direction; to bend over or hang down, as from weakness, weariness, despondency, etc.; to condescend.
“With declining head.” Shak.
He . . . would
decline
even to the lowest of his family. Lady Hutchinson.
Disdaining to
Slowly he falls, amidst triumphant cries.
decline
,Slowly he falls, amidst triumphant cries.
Byron.
The ground at length became broken and
declined
rapidly. Sir W. Scott.
2.
To tend or draw towards a close, decay, or extinction; to tend to a less perfect state; to become diminished or impaired; to fail; to sink; to diminish; to lessen;
as, the day
declines
; virtue declines
; religion declines
; business declines
.That empire must
Whose chief support and sinews are of coin.
decline
Whose chief support and sinews are of coin.
Waller.
And presume to know . . .
Who thrives, and who
Who thrives, and who
declines
. Shakespeare
3.
To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw;
as, a line that
declines
from straightness; conduct that declines
from sound morals.Yet do I not
decline
from thy testimonies. Ps. cxix. 157.
4.
To turn away; to shun; to refuse; – the opposite of accept or consent;
as, he
. declined
, upon principleDe-cline′
,Verb.
T.
1.
To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall.
In melancholy deep, with head
declined
. Thomson.
And now fair Phoebus gan
His weary wagon to the western vale.
decline
in hasteHis weary wagon to the western vale.
Spenser.
2.
To cause to decrease or diminish.
[Obs.]
“You have declined his means.” Beau. & Fl.
He knoweth his error, but will not seek to
decline
it. Burton.
3.
To put or turn aside; to turn off or away from; to refuse to undertake or comply with; reject; to shun; to avoid;
as, to
decline
an offer; to decline
a contest; he declined
any participation with them.Could I
Decline
this dreadful hour? Massinger.
4.
(Gram.)
To inflect, or rehearse in order the changes of grammatical form of;
as, to
. decline
a noun or an adjective☞ Now restricted to such words as have case inflections; but formerly it was applied both to declension and conjugation.
After the first
declining
of a noun and a verb. Ascham.
5.
To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun.
[R.]
Shak.
1.
A falling off; a tendency to a worse state; diminution or decay; deterioration; also, the period when a thing is tending toward extinction or a less perfect state;
as, the
decline
of life; the decline
of strength; the decline
of virtue and religion.Their fathers lived in the
decline
of literature. Swift.
2.
(Med.)
That period of a disorder or paroxysm when the symptoms begin to abate in violence;
as, the
. decline
of a fever Decline marks the first stage in a downward progress; decay indicates the second stage, and denotes a tendency to ultimate destruction; consumption marks a steady decay from an internal exhaustion of strength. The health may experience a decline from various causes at any period of life; it is naturally subject to decay with the advance of old age; consumption may take place at almost any period of life, from disease which wears out the constitution. In popular language decline is often used as synonymous with consumption. By a gradual decline, states and communities lose their strength and vigor; by progressive decay, they are stripped of their honor, stability, and greatness; by a consumption of their resources and vital energy, they are led rapidly on to a completion of their existence.
Webster 1828 Edition
Decline
DECLI'NE
,Verb.
I.