declension

/dɪˈklɛnʃɪn/

/dɪˈklɛnʃən/

Other forms: declensions

A declension is a decline, like a downward slope or something that gets worse. As a grammar word, declension is the way a word's ending changes to reflect its function in a sentence.

A hill's steep declension makes it easy to roll down, and if you think there’s a declension in quality of movies these days, you might just skip the theater. In another sense, if you've learned German or Greek, you're familiar with declension, as when a noun changes its form slightly to show that it's the object of a sentence. In English, we use prepositions and word order instead. The Latin root means "to lower or bend from."

Definitions of declension

1. noun

   the inflection of nouns and pronouns and adjectives in Indo-European languages
   type of:

   inflection, inflexion

   a change in the form of a word (usually by adding a suffix) to indicate a change in its grammatical function
2. noun

   a class of nouns or pronouns or adjectives in Indo-European languages having the same (or very similar) inflectional forms
   “the first declension in Latin”

   type of:

   category, class, family

   a collection of things sharing a common attribute
3. noun

   a downward slope or bend
   synonyms: declination, decline, declivity, descent, downslope, fall

   types:

   downhill

   the downward slope of a hill

   steep

   a steep place (as on a hill)

   type of:

   incline, side, slope

   an elevated geological formation
4. noun

   the process of changing to an inferior state
   synonyms: decline in quality, deterioration, worsening

   types:

   drop-off, falling off, falloff, slack, slump

   a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality

   type of:

   decline, diminution

   change toward something smaller or lower