n.
Pronunciation: di- ' klen(t)-sh ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English declenson, modification of Middle French declinaison, from Latin declination-, declinatio grammatical inflection, turning aside, from declinare to inflect, turn aside
Date: 15th century
1 a : noun, adjective, or pronoun inflection especially in some prescribed order of the forms b : a class of nouns or adjectives having the same type of inflectional forms
2 : a falling off or away : DETERIORATION
3 : DESCENT , SLOPE
– de · clen · sion · al \ - ' klen(t)-sh ə -n ə l \ adjective