declinian
Old English
FWOTD – 2 January 2026
Etymology
Etymology tree
Borrowed from Latin dēclīnāre.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdeˌkliː.ni.ɑn/
Verb
declīnian
- (grammar) to inflect or decline
- Synonym: ġebīeġan
- c. 995, Ælfric, Excerptiones de Arte Grammatica Anglice
- Wē habbaþ nū declīnod þā eahta frumcennedan pronomina.
- We have now declined the eight primitive pronouns.
Conjugation
Conjugation of declīnian (weak, class 2)
| infinitive | declīnian | declīnienne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | declīniġe | declīnode |
| second person singular | declīnast | declīnodest |
| third person singular | declīnaþ | declīnode |
| plural | declīniaþ | declīnodon |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | declīniġe | declīnode |
| plural | declīniġen | declīnoden |
| imperative | ||
| singular | declīna | |
| plural | declīniaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| declīniende | (ġe)declīnod | |
Derived terms
References
- Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “DECLĪNIAN”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.