What does CLINE mean?

Parts of Speech

Cline is a noun and a verb.

Definitions

As a noun, a cline is a gradual change in a characteristic of a species over a geographic area. As a verb, to cline means to show a gradual change in a characteristic of a species over a geographic area.

Pronunciations

US: /klaɪn/

UK: /klaɪn/

Origin and Usage

The word cline comes from the Greek word "klinein," meaning "to lean." The term was first used in the field of biology in the 1930s to describe the gradual change in a characteristic of a species over a geographic area. Today, the term is still used in biology, but it has also been adopted by other fields, such as linguistics, to describe a gradual change in language use over a geographic area.

Synonyms

For the noun form, cline can be synonymous with gradient, continuum, or spectrum. As a verb, synonyms include incline, lean, or slope.

Related Words

Other 5 letter words related to cline include: climb, clink, andcline.

Example Sentences

• The cline of fur color in the rabbit population gradually changed from brown to white as they moved north.
• The linguist studied the cline of dialects in the region and found that the language use gradually changed from one town to the next.
• The hiker had to cline up the steep mountain slope to reach the summit.