Etymograph

English

inclination

Inclination comes from Old French inclination, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱley-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400inclination1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inclinacioun1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1959inclination1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English inclination
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1959, H. A. Vallance, The Pembroke & Tenby Railway: “The gradients on the western part of the line…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱley-Wiktionary, English inclinationroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400inclinationWiktionary, English inclination
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inclinaciounWiktionary, English inclination
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1959inclinationWiktionary, English inclination. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1959, H. A. Vallance, The Pembroke & Tenby Railway: “The gradients on the western part of the line…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-

law, low, climate, lean, ladder, decline, lid, climax, eyelid, clinician, cline, proclivity, declension, declination, 27 more

Today it means

noun A physical tilt or bend.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inclination”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- / inclination

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