Acclivity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈklɪv.ə.ti/

Definitions

1. A slope or incline that rises upward from a lower to a higher elevation
2. an upward slope or gradient rising from lower to higher ground
3. a hillside or terrain that ascends gradually or steeply in an upward direction
4. an upward slope or gradient that ascends from lower ground to higher ground
5. a rising incline or hillside that goes upward in elevation

Etymology: The noun "acclivity" entered English in 1614, borrowed from Latin "acclīvitās," a word that meant the quality of ascending. Its parent adjective, "acclīvis," combined the prefix "ad-" ("to" or "toward") with "clīvus," meaning a slope or rise. So the word's core is a simple picture: something that moves toward a hillside, or a hill's upward climb. The clearest way to see the family resemblance is through its opposite, "declivity," a downward slope. The two words are built on the same Latin root "clīvus," with "de-" ("down") in place of "ad-" ("up" or "toward"). English speakers rarely use "acclivity" today, but it sits alongside "declivity" as a matched pair, one describing the climb and the other the descent of the same hillside.

Synonyms: slope, incline, rise, hill, gradient

Antonyms: declivity, descent, decline, drop, fall