Word of the Day

: July 21, 2010

declivity

noun di-KLIV-uh-tee

What It Means

1 : downward inclination

2 : a descending slope

declivity in Context

The hikers cautiously made their way down the somewhat steep and rocky declivity that led to the river.

Did You Know?

Three different English words descend from "clivus," the Latin word for "slope" or "hill" -- with the help of three Latin prefixes. "Declivity" combines "clivus" with the prefix "de-," meaning "down" or "away." "Acclivity" uses "ad-" (which may change its second letter depending on the root word), meaning "to" or "toward." Hence, an acclivity is an upward slope. The third word has a figurative meaning in English: "proclivity" makes use of the prefix "pro-," meaning "forward," and this word refers to a personal inclination, predisposition, or "leaning."