incline

pronunciation

How to pronounce incline in British English: UK [ɪnˈklaɪn , ˈɪnklaɪn] word uk audio image

How to pronounce incline in American English: US [ɪnˈklaɪn , ˈɪnklaɪn] word us audio image

Noun:

an elevated geological formation
an inclined surface or roadway that moves traffic from one level to another
Verb:

have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
bend or turn (one's ear) towards a speaker in order to listen well
lower or bend (the head or upper body), as in a nod or bow
be at an angle
make receptive or willing towards an action or attitude or belief

Word Origin

incline: incline: [13] Latin -clīnāre (a relative of English lean, but itself only ever recorded in compounds) meant ‘bend, lean’. Add to this the prefix in- and you had inclīnāre ‘lean towards’. This was originally borrowed into English via Old French encliner as encline – a form which survived until the 17th century, when the latinized incline began to take over. The metaphorical use of the word to indicate a person’s disposition or preference dates back to Roman times.=> lean

incline (v.): c. 1300, "to bend or bow toward," from Old French encliner, from Latin inclinare "to cause to lean; bend, incline, turn, divert," from in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + clinare "to bend," from PIE *klei-n-, suffixed form of *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)). Metaphoric sense of "have a mental disposition toward" is early 15c. in English (but existed in classical Latin). Related: Inclined; inclining.

incline (n.): c. 1600, "mental tendency," from incline (v.). The literal meaning "slant, slope" is attested from 1846.

2. What I really did was make my way up the little incline toward the trailer .

4. You can better simulate outdoor running by setting your treadmill at 1 % incline .

5. Try increasing your speed or incline so that you feel challenged , for at least part of your workout .