acclivity

American  

[uh-kliv-i-tee] / əˈklɪv ɪ ti /

noun

• acclivities
  plural

1. an upward slope, as of ground; an ascent (opposed to declivity).

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acclivity British  

/ əˈklɪvɪtɪ /

noun

1. an upward slope, esp of the ground Compare declivity

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• acclivitous
  adjective
• acclivous
  adjective
• unacclivitous
  adjective
• unacclivitously
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• acclivities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of acclivity

1605–15; < Latin acclīvitās, equivalent to acclīv ( is ) steep ( ac- ac- + -clīvis, adj. derivative of clīvus slope) + -itās -ity

Explanation

An acclivity might be something to dread if you ride a bike a lot. An acclivity is an uphill slope, so you’ll have to pedal a little harder to get to the top. The word acclivity traces back to the Latin word acclivis, meaning “ascending,” which is a combination of ad-, meaning “toward,” and clivus, meaning “slope.” If you encounter an acclivity, it’s going to be all uphill until you get to the top. The opposite of an acclivity is a declivity, which has a similar Latin origin. In the case of declivity, it’s the de- prefix, meaning “down,” that moves things in the opposite direction and gives it the meaning of “downhill slope.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acclivity acclivities

She sate negligently in her saddle—the undulating outlines of her majestic form rendered more conspicuous by the movements of her palfrey, as it strained up the acclivity of the hill.

From The White Gauntlet by Mayne Reid

In the rear was a narrow pass, with a steep acclivity on either side.

From Legends of The Kaw The Folk-Lore of the Indians of the Kansas River Valley by Carrie de Voe

Houses of the poorer sort straggle up its eastern acclivity, while the south and west faces remain as formed by nature, abrupt and precipitous.

From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Samuel Adams Drake

Go back again; make bee line up acclivity nearly as steep as side of house; find ourselves again on top of mountain.

From Mr. Punch in the Highlands by Various

It extends about 2 m. along the river bank, occupying a slight acclivity which reaches its summit at Windmill Hill, whence extensive views are obtained of the river, with its windings and shipping.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 4 "Grasshopper" to "Greek Language" by Various

The sandstone predominates in some parts of the range, forming small cliffs, underneath which there are steep acclivities of sand.

From Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea by John Franklin

She led the way by zigzag hill roads where they caught stinging blows from back-lashing branches and up steep, slippery acclivities.

From The Key to Yesterday by Charles Neville Buck

Does it grow on steep acclivities, or does it seem to prefer gentle slopes or level ground?

From Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume III (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the Austrian Navy. by Karl Ritter von Scherzer

Above Quebec, the high promontory on which the upper town is built expands into an elevated plain, having towards the river the steepest acclivities.

From The International Monthly, Volume 5, No. 4, April, 1852 by Various

One core-like ridge runs along the summit, branching off into numberless steep valleys and acclivities, down to the water's edge.

From Los Gringos Or, An Inside View of Mexico and California, with Wanderings in Peru, Chili, and Polynesia by H. A. (Henry Augustus) Wise