decline (the sense of ‘fall off in vigour, vitality, &c.’ occurs, cf. DECLINED)
1.
to
incline or lean “to”
Err. III. ii. 44.
2.
to fall, sink
Shr. Ind. i. 119
“with d-ing
head,”
Troil. IV. v. 188, Cor. II. i. 180, Tim. I. i. 89, Ham. II. ii. 508; in pa.
pple.
Wint. V. ii. 82
“had one eye
d-d,”
Lucr. 1661
“With head d-'d”
; fig. to fall “upon” (an unworthy object)
Ham. I. v. 50
“to Upon a
wretch.”
3.
to bend (the head,
&c.) Err. III. ii. 139, Lr. IV. ii. 22.
4.
to inflect (a word)
Wiv. IV. i. 43; (hence)
to go through (a matter) formally and in order R3 IV. iv. 97 (‘go through it all from beginning to end’),
Troil. II. iii. 55
“I'll decline the whole
question.”