"to decline (refuse politely)" in seven languages
Meaningto decline (refuse politely)
Spanish
declinar
/dekliˈnaɾ/
learned
Formal; everyday rechazar.
French
décliner
/dekline/
learned
Formal; everyday refuser.
Italian
declinare
/dekliˈnare/
learned
Formal; everyday rifiutare.
Portuguese
recusar
/hekuˈzah/
other source · Latin RECŪSĀRE 'to object, refuse'
Romanian
refuza
/refuˈza/
other source · French refuser
Catalan
declinar
/dəkliˈna/
learned
English
decline
/dɪˈklaɪn/
from Latin/French · Old French decliner
English → Italianto decline (refuse politely)declinareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
DĒCLĪNĀRE‘to turn aside, bend away’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
To decline is to bend away from an offer. The same verb also means 'to wane' and, in grammar, 'to inflect a noun', which is where declension comes from.
English relatives: declension, incline, recline
Learn it
In a sentence
- esDeclinó amablemente la invitación.
- frElle a poliment décliné l'invitation.
- itHa declinato gentilmente l'invito.
- ptEla recusou educadamente o convite.
- roA refuzat politicos invitația.
- caVa declinar amablement la invitació.
- enShe politely declined the invitation.
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