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n. 1. Linguistics a. In certain languages, the inflection of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives with respect to categories such as case, number, and gender. b. A class of words of one language with the same or a similar system of inflections, such as the first declension in Latin. 2. A descending slope; a descent. 3. A decline or decrease; deterioration: "States and empires have their periods of declension" (Laurence Sterne). 4. A deviation, as from a standard or practice. [Middle English declenson, from Old French declinaison, from Latin dēclīnātiō, dēclīnātiōn-, grammatical declension, declination; see DECLINATION.] de·clension·al adj. |
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