inflection

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: in=flec=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

inflection, n. [L. inflexio : cf. F. inflexion. See Inflect.].

•  The act of inflecting, or the state of being inflected.  [1913 Webster]
•  A bend; a fold; a curve; a turn; a twist.  [1913 Webster]
•  A slide, modulation, or accent of the voice; as, the rising and the falling inflection.  [1913 Webster]
•  The variation or change which words undergo to mark case, gender, number, comparison, tense, person, mood, voice, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any change or modification in the pitch or tone of the voice.  [1913 Webster]
•  Same as Diffraction.  [1913 Webster]

Point of inflection (Geom.), the point on opposite sides of which a curve bends in contrary ways.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

inflection, n. (also inflexion)
1 a the act or condition of inflecting or being inflected. b an instance of this.
2 Gram. a the process or practice of inflecting words. b an inflected form of a word. c a suffix etc. used to inflect, e.g. -ed.
3 a modulation of the voice.
4 Geom. a change of curvature from convex to concave at a particular point on a curve.

Derivative

inflectional adj. inflectionally adv. inflectionless adj.

Etymology

F inflection or L inflexio (as INFLECT)

THESAURUS

inflection

IC analysis, L, S-curve, accent, accidence, affix, affixation, allomorph, angle, apex, articulation, bend, bending, bifurcation, bight, bound morpheme, bow, bowing, cant, chevron, coin, conflexure, conjugation, corner, crank, crook, crotchet, cutting, declension, deflection, derivation, difference of form, dogleg, elbow, ell, enclitic, enunciation, flection, flex, flexure, fork, formative, free form, furcation, geanticline, geosyncline, hairpin turn, hook, immediate constituent analysis, infix, infixation, intonation, intonation pattern, knee, meander, modulation, morph, morpheme, morphemic analysis, morphemics, morphology, morphophonemics, nook, oxbow, paradigm, pitch, pitch accent, point, prefix, prefixation, proclitic, pronunciation, quoin, radical, reflection, root, speech tune, stem, suffix, suffixation, suprasegmental, sweep, swerve, theme, timbre, tonality, tone, tone of voice, turn, turning, veer, vertex, word-formation, zag, zig, zigzag

ROGET THESAURUS

inflection

Grammar

N grammar, accidence, syntax, praxis, punctuation, parts of speech, jussive, syllabication, inflection, case, declension, conjugation, us et norma loquendi, Lindley Murray, correct style, philology.

Curvature

N curvature, curvity, curvation, incurvature, incurvity, incurvation, bend, flexure, flexion, flection, conflexure, crook, hook, bought, bending, deflection, deflexion, inflection, inflexion, concameration, arcuation, devexity, turn, deviation, detour, sweep, curl, curling, bough, recurvity, recurvation, sinuosity, kink, carve, arc, arch, arcade, vault, bow, crescent, half-moon, lunule, horseshoe, loop, crane neck, parabola, hyperbola, helix, spiral, catenary, festoon, conchoid, cardioid, caustic, tracery, arched ceiling, arched roof, bay window, bow window, sine curve, spline, spline curve, spline function, obliquity, curved, curviform, curvilineal, curvilinear, devex, devious, recurved, recurvous, crump, bowed, vaulted, hooked, falciform, falcated, semicircular, crescentic, sinusoid, parabolic, paraboloid, luniform, lunular, semilunar, conchoidal, helical, double helical, spiral, kinky, cordiform, cordated, cardioid, heart shaped, bell shaped, boat shaped, crescent shaped, lens shaped, moon shaped, oar shaped, shield shaped, sickle shaped, tongue shaped, pear shaped, fig shaped, kidney-shaped, reniform, lentiform, lenticular, bow-legged, oblique, circular, aduncated, arclike, arcuate, arched, beaked, bicorn, bicornuous, bicornute, clypeate, clypeiform, cymbiform, embowed, galeiform, hamate, hamiform, hamous, hooked, linguiform, lingulate, lobiform, lunate, navicular, peltate, remiform, rhamphoid, rostrate, rostriferous, rostroid, scutate, scaphoid, uncate, unguiculate, unguiform.