cline

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Derived terms

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Ancient Greek κλίνειν (klínein) ‘to lean, incline’.

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /klaɪn/

[edit] Noun

cline (plural clines)

1. (biology) A gradation in a character or phenotype within a species or other group.
2. Any graduated continuum.
   • 2005, Ronnie Cann, Ruth Kempson and Lutz Marten, The Dynamics of Language, an Introduction, p. 412

     This account effectively reconstructs the well-known grammaticalisation cline from anaphora to agreement, …

[edit] Derived terms

• clinal