v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Inflected; p. pr. & vb. n. Inflecting. ] [ L. inflectere, inflexum; pref. in- in + flectere to bend. See Flexible, and cf. Inflex. ] 1. To turn from a direct line or course; to bend; to incline, to deflect; to curve; to bow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Are they [ the rays of the sun ] not reflected, refracted, and inflected by one and the same principle ? Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) To vary, as a noun or a verb in its terminations; to decline, as a noun or adjective, or to conjugate, as a verb. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To modulate, as the voice. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Bent; turned; deflected. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Having inflections; capable of, or subject to, inflection; inflective. [ 1913 Webster ]

Inflected cycloid (Geom.), a prolate cycloid. See Cycloid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. inflexio : cf. F. inflexion. See Inflect. ] [ Written also inflecxion. ] 1. The act of inflecting, or the state of being inflected. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A bend; a fold; a curve; a turn; a twist. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A slide, modulation, or accent of the voice; as, the rising and the falling inflection. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Gram.) The variation or change which words undergo to mark case, gender, number, comparison, tense, person, mood, voice, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mus.) (a) Any change or modification in the pitch or tone of the voice. (b) A departure from the monotone, or reciting note, in chanting. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Opt.) Same as Diffraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Point of inflection (Geom.), the point on opposite sides of which a curve bends in contrary ways. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to inflection; having, or characterized by, inflection. Max Müller. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Capable of, or pertaining to, inflection; deflecting; as, the inflective quality of the air. Derham. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Inflectional; characterized by variation, or change in form, to mark case, tense, etc.; subject to inflection. [ 1913 Webster ]

Inflective language (Philol.), a language like the Greek or Latin, consisting largely of stems with variable terminations or suffixes which were once independent words. English is both agglutinative, as, manlike, headache, and inflective, as, he, his, him. Cf. Agglutinative. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not admitting of, or characterized by, inflection. [ 1913 Webster ]