recline

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin reclīnāre (“to bend back”). Compare decline, incline.

verb

1. (transitive) To cause to lean back; to bend back.
2. (transitive) To put in a resting position.
   She reclined her arms on the table and sighed.
3. (intransitive) To lean back.
   to recline against a wall
4. (intransitive) To put oneself in a resting position.
   to recline on a couch

noun

1. A mechanism for lowering the back of a seat to support a less upright position; Also, the action of lowering the back using such a mechanism.
   To gain a little more space, airlines are turning to a new generation of seats that use lighter materials and less padding, moving the magazine pocket above the tray table and even reducing or eliminating the recline in seats. Dec 22 2013, Jad Mouawad, Martha C. White, New York Times, retrieved 2013-12-23