inflection

(ĭn-flĕkˈshən)

1. The act of inflecting or the state of being inflected.
2. Alteration in pitch or tone of the voice.
3. Grammar
   a. An alteration of the form of a word by the addition of an affix, as in English dogs from dog, or by changing the form of a base, as in English spoke from speak, that indicates grammatical features such as number, person, mood, or tense.
   b. An affix indicating such a grammatical feature, as the -s in the English third person singular verb form speaks.
   c. The paradigm of a word.
   d. A pattern of forming paradigms, such as noun inflection or verb inflection.
4. A turning or bending away from a course or position of alignment.

Related Forms:

• in·flecˈtion·al adjective

• in·flecˈtion·al·ly adverb