Incline

How to spell incline

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce incline

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does incline mean?

1. verbTo feel or be disposed towards a particular opinion, action, or preference.
2. nounA surface or stretch of ground that slopes upward or downward.

Incline in a sentence

• verb

  The new figures incline me towards a more cautious budget.

• noun

  The cyclists slowed as they reached the steep incline near the bridge.

• verb

  Many readers incline to the simpler explanation when given the choice.

• noun

  The treadmill lets you raise the incline to make the workout harder.

Where does incline come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb inclinare, which meant 'to lean towards' or 'to bend', formed from the prefix in- (towards) and clinare (to lean or bend). That same clinare root is the ancestor of a whole family of leaning words in English, including 'decline' (to bend away), 'recline' (to bend back) and 'lean' itself, all sharing the underlying idea of a tilt or slope. English took the word in during the 1300s through Old French encliner, at first in the figurative sense of bending the mind or feelings towards something, as in being inclined to agree. The literal sense of a physical slope, and the noun for a sloping surface, developed alongside it. The silent middle is worth noting: although it sounds like 'in-cline', the spelling keeps the clean Latin spine of clinare, so there is a single c and the ending is -line, not -lign.

How the word is built

• in- (towards)
• cline (from Latin clinare: to lean or bend)