| 释义 |
declining
de·cline D0076700 (dĭ-klīn′)v. de·clined, de·clin·ing, de·clines v.intr.1. To express polite refusal: I wanted to invite them but I was afraid they would decline.2. a. To slope downward; descend: The roof declines at a steep angle.b. To bend downward; droop: boughs declining toward the ground.3. To degrade or lower oneself; stoop: refused to decline to their level of behavior.4. To deteriorate gradually; fail: His health has been declining for years.5. a. To sink, as the setting sun.b. To draw to a gradual close: We made our way home as the day declined.v.tr.1. To refuse politely: I declined their offer of help. See Synonyms at refuse1.2. To cause to slope or bend downward.3. Grammar To inflect (a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective) for number and case.n.1. The process or result of declining, especially:a. A gradual deterioration, as in numbers, activity, or quality: "overwhelming evidence that fish stocks ... are in decline" (Jonathan Bocknek).b. A downward movement or fall, as in price.c. A deterioration of health: the patient's rapid decline.2. A downward slope; a declivity: the sharp decline of the dunes to the sea.
[Middle English declinen, from Old French decliner, from Latin dēclīnāre, to turn away, bend downward, change the form of a word : dē-, de- + -clīnāre, to lean, bend; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]
de·clin′a·ble adj.de·clin′er n.declining (dɪˈklaɪnɪŋ) adj1. deteriorating gradually, as in quality, health, or character2. of the time of a person's life during which he or she grows old and increasingly frailTranslationsFinancialSeedecline |