Definition of "inflection" in English

noun

1. (grammar, uncountable) The linguistic phenomenon of morphological variation, whereby terms take a number of distinct forms in order to express different grammatical features.

   • In English, word order often does the work that inflection did in Latin.

2. A change in pitch or tone of voice.

3. (mathematics) A change in curvature from concave to convex or from convex to concave.

4. A turning away from a straight course.

   • inflection from the rules

5. (optometry) Diffraction.