Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “declination” come from?

Declination comes from Middle English declinacioun, from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio (a bending away), derived from Latin declino (to bend or turn away), combining Latin de- (away) with Proto-Indo-European ḱley- (to bend or incline).

declination (English): At a given point, the angle between magnetic...

Definitions

  1. At a given point, the angle between magnetic...

Ancestry of “declination”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdeclinacioun—
2Middle Frenchdeclination—
3Latindēclīnātiō—
4Latin-ātiō—
5Latin-tiō—
6Latindissertātiō—
7Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
8Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
9Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
10Latincalceusshoe
11Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
12Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “declination”

  • declinational
  • codeclination
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →