Lexic.us

Definition of Declination

1. Noun. A condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state.

2. Noun. A downward slope or bend.

3. Noun. (astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial body north or to the south of the celestial equator; expressed in degrees; used with right ascension to specify positions on the celestial sphere.

4. Noun. A polite refusal of an invitation.

Definition of Declination

1. n. The act or state of bending downward; inclination; as, declination of the head.

Definition of Declination

1. Noun. At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north. ¹

2. Noun. At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane. ¹

3. Noun. A refusal. ¹

4. Noun. (archaic) Declension. ¹

5. Noun. (archaic) Deviation. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Declination

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Declination

1. 1. The act or state of bending downward; inclination; as, declination of the head. 2. The act or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline. "The declination of monarchy." "Summer . . . Is not looked on as a time Of declination or decay." (Waller) 3. The act of deviating or turning aside; oblique motion; obliquity; withdrawal. "The declination of atoms in their descent." (Bentley) "Every declination and violation of the rules." (South) 4. The act or state of declining or refusing; withdrawal; refusal; averseness. "The queen's declination from marriage." (Stow) 5. The angular distance of any object from the celestial equator, either northward or southward. 6. The arc of the horizon, contained between the vertical plane and the prime vertical circle, if reckoned from the east or west, or between the meridian and the plane, reckoned from the north or south. 7. The act of inflecting a word; declension. See Decline, v. T. Angle of declination, the angle made by a descending line, or plane, with a horizontal plane. Circle of declination, a circle parallel to the celestial equator. Declination compass, a compass arranged for finding the declination of the magnetic needle. Declination of the compass or needle, the horizontal angle which the magnetic needle makes with the true north-and-south line. Origin: L. Declinatio a bending aside, an avoiding: cf. F. Declination a decadence. See Declension. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Declination

declaw declawed declawing declaws declension declensional declensionism declensionist declensionists declensions

declimb declinability declinable declinal declinate declination (current term) declinational declinations declinator declinators

declinatory declinature declinatures decline decline in quality declined decliner decliners declines declinest

Literary usage of Declination

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The New American Practical Navigator: Being an Epitome of Navigation by Nathaniel Bowditch (1826)
"To fnd the sun's declination at noon, at any place* HULE. Take out the declination at noon at Greenwich from Table I\r^ (or from the Nautical Almanac;) then ..."

2. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London by Royal Society (Great Britain) (1872)
"V. " On the present amount of Westerly Magnetic declination [Variation of the Compass] on the Coasts of Great Britain, and its Annual Changes. ..."

3. Elementary Treatise on Physics Experimental and Applied: For the Use of by Adolphe Ganot (1881)
"The declination is said to be east or west, according as the north pole of the ... Variations In declination. — The declination of the magnetic needle, ..."

4. The Theory and Practice of Surveying: Designed for the Use of Surveyors and by John Butler Johnson (1900)
"On about the 2ist of June the sun reaches its most northern declination, ... In June and December, therefore, the sun is changing its declination most ..."

5. The Principles and Practice of Surveying by Charles Blaney Breed, George Leonard Hosmer (1908)
"Computation of declination Settings. — The sun's polar distance may be obtained from the " American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac," published by the ..."

6. A Manual of Spherical and Practical Astronomy: Embracing the General by William Chauvenet (1891)
"Any point of the heavens may be observed with the equatorial instrument in two different positions of its declination axis. For example, if the declination ..."

7. The Geographical Journal by Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain). (1896)
"45m. ; declination, 30° S. The Sign of the Parallax in declination.—If the place of observation as plotted in the diagram is below the line drawn through ..."

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