Etymology

incline

I1N1C3L1I1N1E1

Today it means: To bend or move (something) out of a given plane or direction, often the horizontal or vertical. Full definition →

Middle English enclinen ← Old French encliner ← Latin inclīnāre
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*ḱel-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*ḱley-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱl̥néyti ~ *ḱl̥nyénti
  8. Proto-Italic*kl(e)inō
  9. Proto-Italic*klei- ~ *kli-influ.
  10. Latinclīnō
  11. Latininclīnāre
  12. Old Frenchencliner
  13. Middle Englishenclinen
  14. English todayincline

From Middle English enclinen, from Old French encliner (modern incliner), from Latin inclīnō (“incline, tilt”), from in- + clīnō (compare -cline), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean).

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*ḱley- all →

leedeclineleanlidLeitedeclivityheteroclite

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.