declivity

[ dih-kliv-i-tee ]

/ dɪˈklɪv ɪ ti /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for declivity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural de·cliv·i·ties.

a downward slope, as of ground (opposed to acclivity).

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of declivity

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dēclīvitās “a slope, hill,” equivalent to dēclīvi(s) “sloping downward” (dē- prefix indicating downward motion + clīv(us) “slope, hill” + -is adjective suffix) + -tās noun suffix; see de-, -ty²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use declivity in a sentence

On the declivities of the hills, we beheld a number of graves, which were marked by single, upright stones.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The slope was gentle on each side, without any abrupt declivities, and there was hardly any variation in its width.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
On their southern declivities are found vast masses of sand drifted thither by the mid-day gales.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
A real forest it is—six hundred acres in extent, and varied by steep declivities, wild dells, and tangled dingles.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VII, December 1850, Vol. II|Various

What endless undulations in the various declivities and ascents,—here a slant, there a zigzag!
The Caxtons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for declivity

declivity

/ (dɪˈklɪvɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

a downward slope, esp of the groundCompare acclivity

Derived forms of declivity

declivitous, adjective

Word Origin for declivity

C17: from Latin dēclīvitās, from de- + clīvus a slope, hill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

declivity

Origin of declivity

Words related to declivity

How to use declivity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for declivity

Derived forms of declivity

Word Origin for declivity