Middle English Dictionary Entry
declināciǒun n.
Entry Info
| Forms | declināciǒun n. |
| Etymology | L & OF |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A hanging downward; (b) deterioration, degeneration.
Associated quotations
a
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)55/11 : Late not þe lyme hange..For..þer is no þing more noious to a wounde þan is akþe & declinacioun [L inclinatio] of a lyme.
b
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)5.2048 : Aftir the flouris of his felicite, His noblesse drouh to declynacioun.
2.
Astron. The angular distance of a heavenly body from the equinoctial; ?also, angular distance of a planet from the ecliptic; hot ~, the sun's greatest distance north of the equinoctial, the summer solstice.
Associated quotations
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fkl.(Manly-Rickert)F.1033 : Appollo, god and gouernour Of euery plaunte, herbe, tree and flour, That yeuest after thy declynacioun To ech of hem his tyme and his sesoun, As thyn herberwe chaungeth lowe or heighe.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fkl.(Manly-Rickert)F.1246 : Phebus wax old, and hewed lyk latoun, That in his hote declynacioun Shoon as the burned gold, with stremes brighte. But now in Capricorn adoun he lighte, Wher as he shoon ful pale.
- c1400 *Chaucer Astr.(Brussels 4869)[1.17] 81a : In this heued of cancer is the grettest declinacioun northwarde of the sunne & therfore is he clepid solsticium of the somer, whiche declinacioun, after Ptholome, is 23 degrees & 50 minutes.
- c1400 *Chaucer Astr.(Brussels 4869)[2.17] 88b : Fro the equinoxial may the declinacioun or the latitude of eny celestial body be rekened..And riȝt so may the latitude or the declinacioun of eny bodi celestial (saue only of the sunne), after his site north or south & after the quantite of his declinacion, be rekenyd from the ecliptik lyne.
- c1400 *Chaucer Astr.(Brussels 4869)[2.20] 89a : Ȝif so be that thilke degre be northward fro the equinoxial, thanne is his declinacion north; ȝif it be southward, thanne is it south.
3.
Gram. A declension.
Associated quotations
- c1450 Capgr.St.Kath.(Arun 396)1.259 : She hadde maystres..To teeche hir of retoryk and gramer the scole..The declynacions, þe personys, the modys, þe tens.
4.
Med. & surg. (a) A partial dislocation; (b) the final stage of a disease; the stage of convalescence or of dying.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)102a/b : Dislocacioun, forsoþ, som is complete, in which holy þe bone goþ out fro his iuncture, which is said verray dislocacioun. Som is vncomplete, in which it goþ not out holy, which is said of Auicen Declinacioun & contorsion [L declinatio & contorsio; *Ch.(2): bowynge & wriþinge].
b
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)22b/a : Apostemez haþ 4 tymez: Bigynnyng, Augmentyng, State, & declinacioun [*Ch.(2): þe declynacioun i. goyng away]..Declinacion is when þe grossenez bigynneþ to be minushed or to be chaunged.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)110b/a-b : And þis acte [of lepre] is said to haue 4 tymez: Bigynnyng, augmentyng, state, & declinacioun, at lest or namely, to þe deþ [L declinatio, saltim ad mortem]..Declinacioun is when þe membrez falleþ.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)28a/a : Helpes of þre fourmes fulfilled fulfillen þe declenacioun by quyttrynge.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1484 Instruct.Quadrant (Trin-C R.14.52)666/1367 : Take the degre of the taryeng in the oilettis of the quadraunt, and bi that gree entre into the table of declynacioun and take the declynacioun as the sonne, that is, agenst the gree.
Note: Ed.: "table of declynacioun: A table showing the sun's declination from the equinoctial at every degree of the zodiac."
Note: Additional quot., sense 2.
Note: New cpd. table of ~
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.28rb (2.2) : Declinacioun, i. swagyng of þe malady, þat is fro þe firste begynnyng of warisshyng, fro þe first tyme þat gode tokenes bygynne, i. þat wicked tokenes bygyn to lessen, as þe febre to feynten, þirst to lessen, and swych oþer poyntz til he be scapede.
Note: Antedates sense 4.(b).
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. declination.