declivity Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a downward slope or bend
    decline; descent; downslope; declination; fall; declension.

WordNet

De*cliv"i*ty noun
Etymology
L. declivitas, fr. declivis sloping, downhill; de + clivus a slope, a hill; akin to clinare to incline: cf. F. déclivité. See Decline.
Wordforms
plural Declivities
Definitions
  1. Deviation from a horizontal line; gradual descent of surface; inclination downward; slope; -- opposed to acclivity, or ascent; the same slope, considered as descending, being a declivity, which, considered as ascending, is an acclivity.
  2. A descending surface; a sloping place.
    Commodious declivities and channels for the passage of the waters. Derham.

Webster 1913