Толковый словарь английского языка - decline

I. verb (~d; declining) see: lean Date: 14th century intransitive verb to turn from a straight course ; stray, 2. to slope downward ; descend, to bend down ; droop, to stoop to what is unworthy, 3. to sink toward setting, to draw toward a close ; wane , to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition , to withhold consent, to become less in amount , transitive verb to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), 2. obsolete avert, avoid, to cause to bend or bow downward, 4. to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with , to refuse especially courteously , declinable adjective ~r noun Synonyms: see: ~ II. noun Date: 14th century the process of declining:, a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away, a change to a lower state or level , the period during which something is deteriorating or approaching its end , a downward slope, a wasting disease, see: deterioration