inclination

noun

Etymology: From Middle English inclinacioun, inclinacyon, from Old French inclination and Latin inclīnātiō. Morphologically incline + -ation.

1. A physical tilt or bend.

   “The inclination of his head increased and he awoke with a start.”

2. A slant or slope.

   “The road up to the house had a steep inclination.”

   “The gradients on the western part of the line are generally easy, although there is a rise at 1 in 55 before Manorbier, and a fall at the same inclination beyond that station.”

3. A tendency.

   “His inclination to drink escalated to alcoholism.”

   “It should be remembered, however, that [Sir Thomas] Lawrence, who was now in demand, was charging from eighty to a hundred guineas for even his smallest portraits, a sum which would have been far beyond the pocket or inclination of the canny North countryman [George Stephenson], who had little use for empty honours.”

4. The angle of intersection of a reference plane.

   “The astronomer calculated the inclination of the equator or ecliptic of Earth and the orbital planes of each visible heavenly body.”

   “Artillery must take account of a weapon's precise inclination.”

5. A person or thing loved or admired.

   “c. 1672-1679, William Temple, Memoirs you make will be a Discovery of your Inclinations”

   “c. 1771, John Adams, speaking in a trial Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”