incline

▪ I. incline, v.
    (ɪnˈklaɪn)
    Forms: α. 4–6 enclyne, 4–8 encline; β. 5–6 inclyne, (6 incleine), 6– incline.
    [Ultimately from L. inclīnāre to bend inwards or towards, f. in- (in-²) + clīnāre to bend. The ME. form, a. OF. encliner, was encline, usual before 1500, and still found after 1600; incline, after later F. incliner (Oresme, 14th c.), is rare before 16th c., the early examples being chiefly Sc. or northern.]
    To bend in the direction of some object or point expressed or implied: hence generally construed with to, toward, and the like.
    I. Transitive senses.
    1. To bend or bow (the head, the body, oneself) towards a person or thing, and hence forward or downward.

α c 1305 11000 Virgins 159 in E.E.P. (1862) 70 Þe bodie aros vp alone And enclynede hire to þe heȝe weued. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxv. 115 Ilk man enclynez his heued toward þe erthe. 1483 Caxton Cato A iv, Thou oughtest to enclyne and bowe thy kne. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 147 Kneeling close to the Sepulchre, enclining his head vpon the same.

β c 1450 Alexander 1603 (Dubl. MS.) Þan all þe Iewes..Inclines þaim [Ashm. MS. Enclynes þam] to þis conquerour & hym on knees gretes. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 44 Than he his heid culd inclyne. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. ii. 3 Oft himselfe inclyning on his knee Downe to that well. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 615 The timely dew of sleep, Now falling with soft slumbrous weight, inclines Our eye-lids. 1671 ― Samson 1636 With head a while inclined, And eyes fast fixed he stood. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 482 Socrates inclined his head to the speaker and listened.

    b. To bend or turn one's ear(s towards a speaker, to give ear, listen favourably, attend (to).

1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 6 That holy virgyne Wych to synful prayers lyst hyr ere enclyne. 1535 Coverdale Ps. xvi[i.]. 6 Enclyne thine eares to me, and herken vnto my wordes. ― Jer. vii. 24 They were not obedient, they inclyned not their eares there vnto. 1548–9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Commun., We beseche thee mercifully to inclyne thyne eares to us. 1708 Pope Ode St. Cecilia 127 When the full organ joins the tuneful quire Th' immortal pow'rs incline their ear. 1860 Motley Netherl. (1868) II. xii. 122 It was unwise that he should incline his ear..to those who counselled severe measures.

    † 2. fig. To cause to bow, obey, or be subject to a person or thing; to bring down, subject. Obs.

c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. lix. 137 Redy..to be mekely enclyned & bowed to euery creature of man [kynde]. 1450 Q. Margaret in Four C. Eng. Lett. 8 Inclynyng you to his honest desire at this tyme. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 29 b/1 He enclyneth the hye thynges doun.

    3. To bend (the mind, heart, will, etc.) towards some course or action; to give a mental leaning or tendency to (a person); to dispose. Const. to something, or to do something. (See also inclined 3.)

α c 1430 Pol., Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 166 Þou..To him þin herte wolt hooli enclyne. 1509 Fisher Fun. Serm. C'tess Richmond Wks. (1876) 299 Here vnto his ryght⁓wysnes also sholde enclyne hym. 1552 Bk. Com. Prayer, Commun., Encline our heartes to kepe thys lawe. 1642 Rogers Naaman 441 Not whether the heart would of itselfe encline, but whether God enclines it.

β 1483 Caxton Cato B iij b, Oftentymes they inclyne or bowen them to suche playes. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 19 b, Goostly pite, inclyneth hym to the same by inspiracyon. 1591 Southwell in Imp. Consid. Sec. Priests (1675) 80 So far hath he inclined fury to clemency. 1653 Milton Hirelings Wks. (1847) 424/2 Such advice as God shall incline him..to propound. 1756 Burke Vind. Nat. Soc. Wks. I. 9 You were inclined to the party which you adopted rather by the feelings of your good nature. 1771 Wesley Serm. I. iii. §8 To hear them speak..might incline one to think they were not far from the kingdom of God. 1839 Thirlwall Greece xlvii. VI. 105 The language of æschines inclines us to believe, that they did not adopt the motion of Demosthenes.

    4. To cause to lean from the vertical or horizontal (or other given) position or direction; to bend, direct, or turn downwards; to slope, tilt.

1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. xii. 54 An embracing vine, Whose bounches hanging downe..did them selves into their hands incline. 1694 Salmon Bate's Dispens. (1713) 242/1 Then inclining the Glass, decant the Tincture. 1732 Pope Ep. Cobham 150 Just as the Twig is bent, the Tree's inclin'd. 1769 Junius Lett. xviii. (1804) I. 113 It is not the Printer's fault, if the greater weight inclines the balance. 1839 G. Bird Nat. Phil. 221 So inclining them that they may lean against each other. 1860 Tyndall Glac. 223 Bradley..found that, owing to the velocity with which the earth flies through space, the rays of the stars are slightly inclined.

    b. To bend the course of (something) in the direction of, towards, or to (some person or thing).

1712–14 Pope Rape Lock iii. 66 Now to the Baron fate inclines the field. 1725 ― Odyss. i. 538 To this his steps the thoughtful prince inclin'd.

    † c. To direct (something immaterial) towards a particular object; to apply, bestow. Obs.

1535 Coverdale Ezra ix. 9 Oure God..hath enclyned mercy vnto vs. 1596 J. Norden Progr. Pietie (1847) 170 Such..will have regard unto the same, and incline help thereunto. a 1626 Bacon Max. & Uses Com. Law iii. (1636) 22 The issue..shall encline and apply all the proofes as tending to that conclusion.

    5. Gr. and Lat. Gram. To cause (a dependent word) to lean its accent upon the preceding word: see enclitic a.

1751 Harris Hermes i. v. (1806) 84 [Certain pronouns] not only took their place behind the Verb, but even gave it their accent, and (as it were) inclined themselves upon it. And hence they acquired the name of Ἐγκλιτικαὶ, that is, Leaning or Inclining Pronouns. 1764 Primatt Accent. Rediv. 249 After giving some instances where they [words] are inclined.

    II. Intransitive.
    6. To bend the head or body forward or downward; to bend, stoop, bow: esp. in token of respect or courtesy. ? Obs.

α 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 236 Enclynande lowe in wommon lore. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 340 To þe kyng he can enclyne. c 1386 Chaucer Monk's Prol. 14 If that any neighebore of myne Wol nat in chirche to my wyf en clyne. c 1500 Melusine xxxiii. 233 Whan she cam byfore her vncle she enclyned & honourably made to hym her obeyssaunce.

β c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xi. 41 He inclynes þerto reuerently. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 51 Wallace inclynd, and thankit this wys lord. 1547 Boorde Introd. Knowl. xxiv. (1870) 185 Whan they do heare masse, & se the sacrament, they do inclyne. c 1658 Milton Sonn. Deceased Wife, As to embrace me she inclined, I waked, she fled, and day brought back my night. 1667 ― P.L. xi. 250 Adam bowd low, hee [Michael] Kingly from his State Inclin'd not. c 1820 S. Rogers Italy, Ginevra 27 She sits, inclining forward as to speak.

    † b. With indirect obj. [Cf. OF. encliner to bow to, salute.] Obs.

1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 509 (Edin. MS.) Than went thai till the king in hy, And hym inclynyt curtasly. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2305 He enclynet the Kyng & closit his mowthe.

    7. fig. To ‘bow’, submit, yield to; to ‘bow down’, condescend; to accede (to).

α c 1440 York Myst. x. 245 To goddis cummaundement I sall enclyne. 1513 More Rich. III Wks. 65/2 He could not fynde in his hearte..to enclyne to theyr desyre.

β c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 1001 Baith hycht and waill obeyed all till his will..The byschoprykis inclynyt till his croune. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems x. 25 All clergy do to him inclyne, And bow vnto that barne benyng. 1611 Bible Ps. xl, 1, I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined vnto me. 1866 Standard 24 Nov. 4/6 A favorite..is generally of that pliant temperament which never gives offence because it ever inclines before it.

    8. To turn in mind, feeling, or action, in a given direction; to apply oneself (to); to favour, take sides, or show practical sympathy, with a person, party, or cause. (Now mostly with mixture of sense 9.)

α a 1300 Cursor M. 25516 Þou giue vs lauerd!.. Wit hand and werck, hert and will..To þe wit hert encline. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Blasius 181 Til enclyne fals godis till. 1535 Coverdale Acts v. 36 All they y{supt} enclyned vnto him were scatred abrode. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 150 To judge to whiche parte he should moste encline, and geve credence.

β 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxxiv. 17 Se ȝe hir full suddanelie incleine To tak a crippill, or a creatour Deformit. 1530 Palsgr. 590/2, I inclyne..I applye my mynde to do a thyng. a 1580 Farrant's Anthem, ‘Lord, for thy tender mercies' sake’, Give us grace..to decline from sin and incline to virtue. 1626 C. Potter tr. Sarpi's Hist. Quarrels Pope Paul V, 107 Only the Great Chancellor and the Marshall Prainer inclined for the Pope. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Warres 339 The very Common People..would not..hearken or incline to any Thoughts of Peace. 1770 Junius Lett. xxxvi. 175 Your best friends are in doubt which way they shall incline. 1879 M. Arnold Ess., Irish Cathol. & Brit. Lib. 99 For England to incline one way is a sufficient reason for Ireland to incline another.

    9. To have a mental leaning, bias, or favourable inclination towards something; to be disposed or inclined (see inclined 3). Const. to (toward, for) something, to do something.

a 1340 [see inclining ppl. a. 2]. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 722 (Edin. MS.) The constellatioun That kyndlik maners gifs thaim till, For to inclyne to gud or ill. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. lix. 138 Nature enclineþ to creatures, to hir ovne flesshe. 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 149 Whiche caused hym to encline to mariage. 1611 Bible Judg. ix. 3 Their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. a 1703 Wallis Pref. in J. Greenwood Enq. Gram (1711) 6, I rather encline to the contrary Opinion. 1722 De Foe Plague (1754) 13, I enclin'd to stay and take my Lot in that Station in which God had plac'd me. 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. IV. 93 It was not,..without private reasons that Marlborough inclined for war. 1839 G. Bird Nat. Phil. 290 The second theory..toward which philosophers of the present day generally incline. 1847 Grote Greece ii. xlvii. IV. 168, I incline to believe [etc.].

    b. ellipt. To be inclined or disposed (to go, do, have, etc.); to desire.

1746 Eliza Heywood Fem. Spect. (1748) IV. 235 What they incline, they have not the power to inforce. 1777 Watson Philip II (1793) III. xx. 72 To carry them to whatever place they should incline. 1795 MacKnight Apost. Epist. I. 267 The unregenerated do not the good they incline, but the evil which they do not incline. 1834 Campbell in Brown's Lett. Sanctif. vi. 320, I had not that assurance of my state which I inclined.

    10. To have or take a direction or position which leans in a given direction from the vertical or horizontal; to slope, slant, bend downwards. Const. to, towards.

1568 Grafton Chron. II. 131 The Beame should stande upright..enclinyng to neyther partie. 1673 Ray Journ. Low C., Pisa 262 The Campanile or Steeple..so very much enclining or seeming to encline or lean to one side, that one would think it could not long stand upright. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) II. 64 The head inclines on one side. 1854 Ronalds & Richardson Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) I. 81 The sole of the furnace is raised in the centre and inclines towards the sides. 1867 W. W. Smyth Coal & Coal-mining 23 They are found to incline..more or less regularly from the moderate angles of 6 or 8° to as much as 25 or 30°.

    b. Dialling. Said of a dial, the plane of which leans forwards from the wall against which it is placed: opposed to recline.

1593 T. Fale Dialling 4 If the angle which the plat maketh with the horizon be accute or sharp, then it doth incline. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 321 It is not upright, but Inclines or Reclines.

    11. gen. To have or take a course or position turning away in the direction of some point, region, etc.; hence, generally, to have an oblique position or direction, so as to make angles with something else.

1553 Eden Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 39 Melcha is situate more toward the West, and Calicut more enclininge towarde the south. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 410 A course directly East, or inclining to the South. 1823 H. J. Brooke Introd. Crystallogr. 163 The unequal angles at which the primary planes incline to each other at the edges. 1838 Guest Eng. Rhythms I. 5 If they incline from each other, they will bulge inwards, if towards each other, they will bulge outwards.

    b. Mil. To move in a direction at angles with the front of the formation, so as to gain ground to the flank while advancing.

1796–7 Instr. & Reg. Cavalry (1813) 19 At the order to Incline! each man makes a half face on his horse's fore feet..and the whole will look to the hand to which they are to incline. 1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 47 The march of every body, except in the case of inclining, is made on lines perpendicular to its front. 1853 Stocqueler Milit. Encycl., Incline, to gain ground to the flank, as well as to the front.

    12. fig. a. To turn or go aside in a given direction; to have a tendency, tend (to); in quot. 1615, to have relation, refer (to).

1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxiii. (Percy Soc.) 163 My name is Falshed, I shall cause enclyne My neyghbours goods for to make them myne. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 102 We..intend so to proceede in this matter neither enclynyng on the right hande, neyther yet on the left. 1611 Bible Prov. ii. 18 Her house inclineth vnto death, and her pathes vnto the dead. 1615 Chapman Odyss. i. 45 Inducing matter that inclined To wise Ulysses. 1788 Gibbon Decl. & F. lii. (1869) III. 272 Victory inclined to the side of the allies. 1884 Ld. Coleridge in Law Rep. 12 Q. Bench Div. 322 The weight of authority inclines upon the whole in favour of the objection.

    b. To tend towards some quality or condition; to have some attribute in an incipient degree. Const. to with noun or adj., or inf.

1589 Cogan Haven Health ccxviii. (1636) 252 Beere or ale being made of wheate malt enclineth more to heat, for wheate is hot. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets drie Dinner P iij b, Tobacco..of a tawny colour, somwhat inclining to red. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 32 The weather is more mixt and uncertain (tho inclining to the wet extreme). 1749 Fielding Tom Jones iv. ii, Sophia..was a middle-sized woman, but rather inclining to tall. 1797 T. Bewick Brit. Birds (1847) I. 28 The top of the head..dark brown, inclining to black. 1835 Marryat Jac. Faithf. vi, He was stout and well-built, inclining to corpulence.

    † c. To fall off, decay, wane: = decline v. 10.

1612 [see inclining vbl. n. 1 b, ppl. a. 1].

▪ II. incline, n.
    (ɪnˈklaɪn, ˈɪnklaɪn)
    [f. the vb.]
    † 1. Mental tendency, disposition: = inclination 6. Obs.

1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 140 All alike neare to God by creation, by redemption, by natures incline in euery one. Ibid. 193 This so gracious..incline of her Maiestie and honorable Counsell to mitigate our generall..affliction. Ibid. 273 A..sweete incline to mercy.

    2. An inclined plane or surface; a slope, declivity (esp. on a road or railway).

1846 Penny Cycl. Suppl. II. 663/2 To fear that the train would be unable to ascend an incline of 16 feet per mile. 1883 C. J. Wills Mod. Persia 112 We rode..under an arch⁓way and up a steep incline. 1887 Lowell Democr. etc. 16 A railway train running down an incline.

    b. Mining. More fully incline-shaft: A shaft or opening into a mine having considerable inclination or slope; distinguished from a (vertical) shaft and from a level.

1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 85 The incline-shaft is down 800 feet... The 600 and 700 foot levels are connected by a winze, which is 175 feet south of the incline. 1898 Daily News 12 July 2/7 In changing over to the new central incline shaft from the old shaft.

Oxford English Dictionary