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DictionaryRoot: de-
Latin

de-

down, away; removal

Forms

  • de-
  • dé- — French spelling in words borrowed from French.

Origin

Latin de, ‘down from; away from’; its deeper ancestry is uncertain.

Note

The prefix can also strengthen an action without suggesting downward movement.

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noun

declination

Angular distance north or south of the celestial equator.

The chart lists each star's declination in degrees north or south.

Etymology
declinationLatinbend or turn aside

The Latin root concerns inclination away from a reference direction. Astronomy applies it to an object’s angular position north or south of the celestial equator.

More examples

  • A star on the celestial equator has a declination of zero degrees.
  • The astronomer compares the declinations of two nearby stars.
  • The sun's declination changes as Earth moves around it.

Forms

declination · declinations