Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “declining” come from?

Declining comes from Middle English declinen, from Old French decliner, from Latin declīnāre, from Latin de- meaning "away" combined with Latin clīnāre meaning "to lean or bend."

declining (English): Present participle and gerund of decline; decline

Definitions

  1. Present participle and gerund of decline; decline

Ancestry of “declining”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdeclineDownward movement, fall; A sloping downward, e.g....
2Old Frenchdecliner—
3Latindēclīnō—
4Latindē-—
5Latindē—
6Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
7Latinposteablative singular of postis
8Proto-Italicposti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “declining”

  • decliningly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →