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hies have risen from barbarrism to civility, and fallen again to ruin. Sir J. Davies. The gradual depature of all deeper signification from the word civility has obliged the creation of another word -- civilization. Trench.

Club-shaped; having the form of a club; growing gradually thicker toward the top.

Enlarged gradually at the end, as the antennæ of certain insects.

nd above the most elevated spring that issues into it. [Written also coombe.] Buckland. A gradual rise the shelving combe Displayed. Southey.

Gradual diminution by the removal of small particles at a time; a lessening; a wearing away. Natural and necessary comminution of our lives. Johnson.

Having the form of, or resembling, a geometrical cone; round and tapering to a point, or gradually lessening in circumference; as, a conic or conical figure; a conical vessel.

arded as a derivative of piperidine and likewise of one of the collidines. It occasions a gradual paralysis of the motor nerves. Called also coniine, coneine, conia, etc. See Conium, 2.

Wasting away gradually. Darwin. - Con*ta*bes"cence, n.

To recover health and strength gradually, after sickness or weakness; as, a patient begins to convalesce.

To eat away by degrees; to wear away or diminish by gradually separating or destroying small particles of, as by action of a strong acid or a caustic alkali. Aqua fortis corroding copper . . . is wont to reduce it to a green- blue solution. Boyle.

Eating away; having the power of gradually wearing, changing, or destroying the texture or substance of a body; as, the corrosive action of an acid. "Corrosive liquors." Grew. "Corrosive famine."Thomson.

of a gallery, occasioned by the pressure of incumbent strata upon the pillars or sides; a gradual movement of mining ground.

With a constantly increasing volume of voice; with gradually increasing strength and fullness of tone; -- a direction for the performance of music, indicated by the mark, or by writing the word on the score.

To bend or turn gradually from a given direction; as, the road curves to the right.

To pass gradually from a sound, prosperous, or perfect state, to one of imperfection, adversity, or dissolution; to waste away; to decline; to fail; to become weak, corrupt, or disintegrated; to rot; to perish; as, a tree decays; fortunes decay; hopes decay. Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth ac…

A gradual sinking and wasting away of the physical faculties; any wasting disease, esp. pulmonary consumption; as, to die of a decline. Dunglison.

Descending gradually; moderately steep; sloping; downhill.

Deviation from a horizontal line; gradual descent of surface; inclination downward; slope; -- opposed to acclivity, or ascent; the same slope, considered as descending, being a declivity, which, considered as ascending, is an acclivity.

To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc., or in strength, quality, or excellence; as, they days decrease in length from June to December. He must increase, but I must decrease. John iii. 30.

The state of becoming gradually less; decrease; diminution; waste; loss. Twit me with the decrements of my pendants. Ford. Rocks, mountains, and the other elevations of the earth suffer a continual decrement. Woodward.