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recline

[ri-klahyn]
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verb (used without object), re·clined, re·clin·ing.

to lean or lie back; rest in a recumbent position.

verb (used with object), re·clined, re·clin·ing.

to cause to lean back on something; place in a recumbent position.

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RELATED WORDS

lounge, sprawl, loll, slope, lie, stretch, tip, lean, slant, rest, list, cant, repose, tilt, heel

Nearby words

  1. reclamation,
  2. reclassify,
  3. reclearance,
  4. reclinate,
  5. reclination,
  6. recliner,
  7. reclosable,
  8. recluse,
  9. reclusion,
  10. reclusive

Origin of recline

1375–1425; late Middle English reclinen < Latin reclīnāre, equivalent to re- re- + clīnāre to lean1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recline

British Dictionary definitions for recline

recline

verb

to rest or cause to rest in a leaning position
Derived Formsreclinable, adjectivereclination (ˌrɛklɪˈneɪʃən), noun

Word Origin for recline

C15: from Old French recliner, from Latin reclīnāre to lean back, from re- + clīnāre to lean 1
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
Word Origin and History for recline

recline

v.

early 15c., from Old French recliner "rest, lay; bend, lean over" (13c.) and directly from Latin reclinare "to bend back, to lean back; cause to lean," from re- "back, against" (see re-) + clinare "to bend," from PIE *klei-n-, suffixed form of *klei "to lean" (see lean (v.)). Related: Reclined; reclining.

Recline is always as strong as lean, and generally stronger, indicating a more completely recumbent position, and approaching lie. [Century Dictionary]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper