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weariness, despondency, etc.; to condescend. "With declining head." Shak. He . . . would decline even to the lowest of his family. Lady Hutchinson. Disdaining to decline, Slowly he falls, amidst triumphant cries. Byron. The ground at length became broken and declined rapidly. Sir W. Scott.

Declinate.

He who declines or rejects. A studious decliner of honors. Evelyn.

A solemn declaration made under the penalties of perjury, by persons who conscientiously decline taking an oath, which declaration is in law equivalent to an oath. Bouvier.

A figure by which a speaker formally declines to take notice of a favorable point, but in such a manner as to produce the effect desired. [For example, see Mark Antony's oration. Shak., Julius Cæsar, iii. 2.]

The time of maturity or decline; latter portion; third stage. Dr. Preston was now entering into the autumn of the duke's favor. Fuller. Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge. Wordsworth.

Since; inasmuch as. [Obs. or Colloq.] And being you have Declined his means, you have increased his malice. Beau. & Fl.

Commensality. [Obs.] Daniel . . . declined pagan commensation. Sir T. Browne.

A prefix from Latin de down, from, away; as in debark, decline, decease, deduct, decamp. In words from the French it is equivalent to Latin dis- apart, away; or sometimes to de. Cf. Dis-. It is negative and opposite in derange, deform, destroy, etc. It is intensive in deprave, despoil, declare, desolate, etc.…

s, 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 accumulates and men decay. Goldsmith.…

The form of the inflection of a word declined by cases; as, the first or the second declension of nouns, adjectives, etc.

Capable of being declined; admitting of declension or inflection; as, declinable parts of speech.

Bent downward or aside; (Bot.) bending downward in a curve; declined.

or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline. "The declination of monarchy." Bacon. Summer . . . is not looked on as a time Of declination or decay. Waller.

The state of having become degenerate; decline in good qualities; deterioration; meanness. Degeneracy of spirit in a state of slavery. Addison. To recover mankind out of their universal corruption and degeneracy. S. Clarke.

Having become worse than one's kind, or one's former state; having declined in worth; having lost in goodness; deteriorated; degraded; unworthy; base; low. Faint-hearted and degenerate king. Shak. A degenerate and degraded state. Milton. Degenerate from their ancient blood. Swift. These degenerate days. Pope. I had pla…

The act or state of growing worse, or the state of having become worse; decline; degradation; debasement; degeneracy; deterioration. Our degeneration and apostasy. Bates.

To refuse (to do something or to accept something); to reject; to decline; to renounce. [Obs.] "If you deny to dance." Shak.

To lessen in price; to cause to decline in value; to cheapen; to depreciate.

To refuse; to decline. [Obs.] "To detrect the battle." Holinshed.