Where does “decline” come from?
Decline comes from Middle English declinen, from Old French decliner, from Latin declīnāre (to bend away), from Latin de (away) and a root from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- (to lean or incline).
decline (English): Downward movement, fall; A sloping downward, e.g....
Definitions
- Downward movement, fall; A sloping downward, e.g....
Ancestry of “decline”, step by step
decline traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French decliner
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | decliner | — |
| 2 | Latin | dēclīnō | to bend, deviate, turn aside/away, deflect |
| 3 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 4 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 5 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 6 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via Middle English declinen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | declinen | To move or turn away: to deviate |