# declivity

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪˈklɪvɪti/

## Definitions
1. The downward slope of a curve.
2. A downward bend in a path.
3. An inward curve of the exoskeleton of an insect, such as between body segments; a segment of an insect's body where the exoskeleton curves inward.

## Etymology
1610s, from French déclivité, from Latin declivitatem, dēclīvitās,
from dēclivis (“a sloping downward”), from de (“down”) + clīvus (“a slope”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱleywo-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (“to lean”) (English lean).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/declivity