DECLINE

I. verb (~d; declining) see: lean Date: 14th century intransitive verb to turn from a straight course ; stray , 2. to slope downward ; descend , to bend down ; droop , to stoop to what is unworthy, 3. to sink toward setting, to draw toward a close ; wane , to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition , to withhold consent, to become less in amount , transitive verb to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), 2. obsolete avert , avoid , to cause to bend or bow downward, 4. to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with , to refuse especially courteously , declinable adjective ~r noun Synonyms: see: ~ II. noun Date: 14th century the process of declining:, a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away, a change to a lower state or level , the period during which something is deteriorating or approaching its end , a downward slope, a wasting disease, see: deterioration