v.
Pronunciation: in- ' flekt
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin inflectere, from in- + flectere to bend
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
1 : to turn from a direct line or course : CURVE
2 : to vary (a word) by inflection : DECLINE , CONJUGATE
3 : to change or vary the pitch of (as the voice)
4 : to affect or alter noticeably : INFLUENCE <an approach inflect ed by feminism>
intransitive verb : to become modified by inflection
– in · flect · able \ - ' flek-t ə -b ə l \ adjective
– in · flec · tive \ - ' flek-tiv \ adjective