declension
[di'klenʃәn]
n. 词形, , 倾斜, 衰退

1. Declension means varying the forms of nouns, pronouns and adjectives in a sentence.
   指词、词形容词句形。
2. In Latin, the nominative case of first declension nouns ends in a'.
   丁文, 属於词形词a尾.
3. Declension means varying the forms of nouns, pronouns and adjectives in a sentence.
   指词、词形容词句形。

declension
[ noun ]

1. the inflection of nouns and pronouns and adjectives in Indo-European languages

<noun.linkdef>

2. process of changing to an inferior state

<noun.process>

3. a downward slope or bend

<noun.object>

4. a class of nouns or pronouns or adjectives in Indo-European languages having the same (or very similar) inflectional forms

<noun.group>
the first declension in Latin

Declension \De*clen"sion\, n. [Apparently corrupted fr. F.
d['e]clinaison, fr. L. declinatio, fr. declinare. See
{Decline}, and cf. {Declination}.]
1. The act or the state of declining; declination; descent;
slope.

The declension of the land from that place to the
sea. --T. Burnet.

2. A falling off towards a worse state; a downward tendency;
deterioration; decay; as, the declension of virtue, of
science, of a state, etc.

Seduced the pitch and height of all his thoughts
To base declension. --Shak.

3. Act of courteously refusing; act of declining; a
declinature; refusal; as, the declension of a nomination.

4. (Gram.)
(a) Inflection of nouns, adjectives, etc., according to
the grammatical cases.
(b) The form of the inflection of a word declined by
cases; as, the first or the second declension of
nouns, adjectives, etc.
(c) Rehearsing a word as declined.

Note: The nominative was held to be the primary and original
form, and was likened to a perpendicular line; the
variations, or oblique cases, were regarded as fallings
(hence called casus, cases, or fallings) from the
nominative or perpendicular; and an enumerating of the
various forms, being a sort of progressive descent from
the noun's upright form, was called a declension.
--Harris.

{Declension of the needle}, declination of the needle.