/ rɪˈklaɪn; NAmE / verb
1.
[ v ] recline (against / in / on sth) ( formal ) to sit or lie in a relaxed way, with your body leaning backwards :
She was reclining on a sofa.
a reclining figure (= for example in a painting)
2.
when a seat reclines or when you recline a seat, the back of it moves into a comfortable sloping position :
[ v ]
a reclining chair
[also vn ]
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense cause to lean back ): from Old French recliner or Latin reclinare bend back, recline, from re- back + clinare to bend.