acclivity

American  

[uh-kliv-i-tee] / əˈklɪv ɪ ti /

noun

plural

acclivities

1. an upward slope, as of ground; an ascent (opposed to declivity).

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acclivity British  

/ əˈklɪvɪtɪ, əˈklaɪvəs /

noun

1. an upward slope, esp of the ground Compare declivity

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Other Word Forms

• acclivitous adjective
• acclivous adjective
• unacclivitous adjective
• unacclivitously adverb

Etymology

Origin of acclivity

1605–15; < Latin acclīvitās, equivalent to acclīv ( is ) steep ( ac- ac- + -clīvis, adj. derivative of clīvus slope) + -itās -ity

Explanation

An acclivity might be something to dread if you ride a bike a lot. An acclivity is an uphill slope, so you’ll have to pedal a little harder to get to the top. The word acclivity traces back to the Latin word acclivis, meaning “ascending,” which is a combination of ad-, meaning “toward,” and clivus, meaning “slope.” If you encounter an acclivity, it’s going to be all uphill until you get to the top. The opposite of an acclivity is a declivity, which has a similar Latin origin. In the case of declivity, it’s the de- prefix, meaning “down,” that moves things in the opposite direction and gives it the meaning of “downhill slope.”

Example Sentences

Jautor is surrounded by towering sierras, and we proceeded on foot up a rough goat-track, choked with strong brushwood, and leading up the steep southern acclivity.

From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Buck, Walter J.

With beating heart and throbbing pulse, Newbold himself bounded up the acclivity after the stranger, marking as he did so evidences of the other's prior ascent.

From The Chalice Of Courage A Romance of Colorado by Brady, Cyrus Townsend

It is beautifully situated on an acclivity of the northern chalk Downs and on the river Wey.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

In the rear was a narrow pass, with a steep acclivity on either side.

From Legends of The Kaw The Folk-Lore of the Indians of the Kansas River Valley by Voe, Carrie de

The steep cliff on the right was also scaled, several rifle sub-divisions of the 49th climbed the acclivity up to La Cluse, and the Colberg Grenadiers advanced to the foot of Fort Neuv.

From The Franco-German War of 1870-71 by Helmuth, Count