inflection

especially British, in·flex·ion

[in-flek-shuhn]

noun

1. modulation of the voice; change in pitch or tone of voice.

2. Grammar.,  Also

   1. the process or device of adding affixes to or changing the shape of a base to give it a different syntactic function without changing its form class.

   2. the paradigm of a word.

   3. a single pattern of formation of a paradigm.

      noun inflection; verb inflection.

   4. the change in the shape of a word, generally by affixation, by means of which a change of meaning or relationship to some other word or group of words is indicated.

   5. the affix added to produce this change, as the -s in dogs or the -ed in played.

   6. the systematic description of such processes in a given language, as in serves from serve, sings from sing, and harder from hard (derivation ).

3. a bend or angle.

4. Mathematics.,  a change of curvature from convex to concave or vice versa.

inflection

/ ɪnˈflɛkʃən /

noun

1. modulation of the voice

2. (grammar) a change in the form of a word, usually modification or affixation, signalling change in such grammatical functions as tense, voice, mood, person, gender, number, or case

3. an angle or bend

4. the act of inflecting or the state of being inflected

5. maths a change in curvature from concave to convex or vice versa See also point of inflection

inflection

1. A change in the form of a word to reflect different grammatical functions of the word in a sentence. English has lost most of its inflections. Those that remain are chiefly possessive ('s), as in “the boy's hat”; plural (-s), as in “the three girls”; and past tense (-d or -ed), as in cared. Other inflections are found in pronouns — as in he, him, his — and in irregular words such as think/thought, child/children, and mouse/mice.

Other Word Forms

• inflectionless adjective
• preinflection noun
• inflectional adjective
• inflectionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of inflection¹

1525–35; variant spelling of inflexion < Latin inflexiōn- (stem of inflexiō ) a bending. See inflect, -ion

Example Sentences

Yet, at what felt like another inflection point in the season, the Dodgers responded.

From Los Angeles Times

We stand at an inflection point for L.A., after the fires, in the grip of climate change, recalibrating our future right down to the roots.

From Los Angeles Times

Tesla the company was at an "inflection point" and needed Musk's prowess as it pivots from being an electric vehicle firm to an AI and robotics focussed company.

From BBC

Starvation appears to be an inflection point for European countries - a moral impetus to drive their divergent diplomacy.

From BBC

The Middle East has been transformed since 7 October, and almost two years into the war, the conflict in Gaza is at another inflection point.

From BBC

Related Words

• articulation 
• pronunciation 
• timbre 
• tone of voice www.thesaurus.com