downwardadv.adj.prep.

Brit.

/ˈdaʊnwəd/, U.S.

/ˈdaʊnwərd/

Forms: see down adv. and -ward suffix.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Partly formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: adownward adv.; down adv., -ward suffix.

Etymology: Partly aphetic < adownward adv., and partly (especially in later use) directly < down adv. + -ward suffix. Compare downwards adv.

A. adv.

a. In an uninterrupted advance or succession forward in time; onwards. Frequently following a noun or noun phrase introduced by from, as from Moses downward, from the twelfth century downward; = downwards adv. 4a. Now somewhat rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > from now or henceforth

fortha700

heneOE

henforthOE

forwardOE

anovenOE

yetOE

downwardc1175

forthwardc1175

furthermorea1300

henforthwardc1300

forne14..

henceforwardc1330

henforwardc1330

hencefortha1375

henceforthwardc1384

hencec1390

furtherwarda1400

forwardsc1400

hyneforwardc1400

henceforwardsa1425

even-forthc1425

forth on1474

henceforthon1490

hynea1500

froforth1536

hyneforth1570

downwards1584

towards1587

here-hence1592

whenceforth1658

whenceforwarda1661

onward1667

onwards1732

from here on out1867

as of now1902

c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 41 Ant Matheus þe godspellere ongon to tellenne fram Abrahame duneweard oððet Cristes acennednysse.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11219 He biginneþþ cristess kinn. To reccnenn..Att abraham. & reccneþþ aȝȝ. Dunnwarrd fra mann to manne.

1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere i. p. ccxlix He coulde shewe theym that all those scryptures fro Moyses downewarde, dyd all prophecye of hym.

1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. to Rdr. sig. A4^v From Christs time downeward.

a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iii. vii. 23 A ring the Countie weares, That downward hath succeeded in his house From sonne to sonne.

1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation: 1st Pt. iii. 188 The Monks in these Houses abounding in wealth, and living at ease and in idleness, did so degenerate, that from the Twelfth Century downward, their reputation abated much.

a1714 J. Sharp Observ. Coinage Eng. in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica No. 35. (1785) 14 From Henry VII. downward, you shall as rarely meet with any coins but what are half-faced.

1807 J. Barlow Columbiad ii. 65 The tribes..attempering to the clime, Still vary downward with the years of time.

1850 G. Grote Hist. Greece VIII. ii. lxvi. 420 All the old laws of Athens, from Solon downward.

1949 M. Hadas tr. J. Burckhardt Age Constantine the Great x. 372 From the apostolic age downward there must always have been visitors to the sites in Palestine which so strikingly combined memories of the ancient covenant between God and man with those of the new.

1958 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 102 7/2 The mantra is repeated in many of the textbooks on architecture from the sixth century downward through the period when the great temples were built.

b. Used to indicate that something applies to every member of a particular hierarchy or set: in an uninterrupted succession from the highest member to the lowest; = downwards adv. 4b.

ΚΠ

a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 132 (MED) In oþer lordeshippes, off the Dukes of Burgoigne downewarde, he takith certayn imposicions.

1605 A. Willet Hexapla in Genesin 300 Some by this ladder vnderstand the genealogie of Christ: Saint Luke setting forth the same by descending from Adam downward, Saint Matthew by ascending from Ioseph vpward.

1683 Last Will & Test. Charter of London 2 To Enjoy & Occupy all from the Bawd to the Whore downward.

1792 J. Belknap Hist. New-Hampsh. III. 20 The spiculæ were of all lengths, from an inch downward.

1877 Atlantic Monthly July 61/1 Thus, from the president downward, through all the grades of official authority, to the electors themselves, civil office becomes a vast corrupting power.

1920 G. A. Clarke Clouds iv. 73 The beautifully waved structure seen in nearly all of the layer-type of clouds from cirrus downward to stratocumulus.

1931 Notes & Queries 22 Aug. 127/2 If these are classified according to the academic method, from Alpha plus downward.

2004 Jrnl. Interdisciplinary Hist. 34 460 The French army was shaped by the private interests of thousands of the propertied elite from the king downward.

a. With reference to physical movement or extent: towards a lower place or position; with a descending motion; in a descending direction; = downwards adv. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [adverb]

adowneOE

downOE

adownwardOE

downwardc1175

pronewise1585

descendingly1614

downwardly1662

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13820 Ȝe shulenn sen..godess enngless. Vppwarrd & dunnwarrd baþe upp onn. Þe manness sune stiȝhenn.

a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 105 Ech god giue..cumeð of heuene dunward.

?a1200 (?OE) Bounds (Sawyer 1380) in D. Hooke Landscape Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire (1994) 68 Onlang ðane riewei in ða eordbriche, & ðonan duneward in ða lynleie, & of þare leie iu ðone Swinseaþ.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7477 As hii þat donward come.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xxiv. 675 A drope..falleth downeward by his owne heuynesse.

c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1871) l. 490 From the morwe..Tyl dounward drow the sunne.

a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) f. 75 (MED) Alle maner schott oþer castynge..is miȝtier and heuyere fallynge dounward þan vpward.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings xx. 10 It is an easy thinge for the shadowe to go ten degrees downewarde.

1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie v. 29 We doe but creepe vppon the Earth, or rather be so loppeheauie that wee sinke still downeward.

1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 777 By the benefit of this adhesion or cleauing the blade also is mooued downward by this thirde muscle.

1651 J. French Art Distillation i. 40 This Oil taken inwardly worketh upward and downward.

1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite iii, in Fables 65 The Gods came downward to behold the Wars, Sharpning their Sights, and leaning from their Stars.

1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland Oberon viii. lx. 81 Downward she rushes in this dreary grave..Become, ah! would to heav'n! herself a senseless stone.

1805 R. Southey Madoc ii. xvi. 335 The blade..slivering downward, left The cheek-flap dangling.

1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid i, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 99 While streams downward run to the sea.

1901 Law Times 11 May 29/2 An elevator car..passed downward until it struck the bumpers at the bottom of the shaft.

1967 I. L. Idriess Opals & Sapphires 48 A seam running downward from the roof.

1969 D. F. Costello Prairie World (1975) iv. 62 The radicle, which grows downward to form the first root.

1999 D. Weber On Basilisk Station xxviii. 273 He plummeted downward, the rest of his squad close behind him.

b. With reference to position, direction, or location: so as to be pointed or directed towards the ground; facing the ground; in a lower part or position; = downwards adv. 1b.See also to look downward 1 at look v. Phrasal verbs 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > low position > [adverb]

netherOE

downlOE

downwardc1225

lowlyc1330

downwards?a1425

low-downc1425

abasea1450

lowera1475

baselya1500

humbly1746

the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in downward direction

adowneOE

netherwardsOE

shireOE

netherOE

netherwardOE

downOE

adownwardOE

downwardslOE

downwardc1225

downhilla1398

alowc1450

downwith1488

downside1664

dahn1849

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) l. 869 Heo biheolt uppart wið up aheuen heorte ant, cneolinde dunewart, þus to Crist cleopede.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 323 He heet honge a briȝt swerd..even above his heved by an horshere, and þe poynt dounward evene to his hevedward.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. clvi. 1053 Þe heedes of corne..bendeþ somdel dounward by heuynesse and weighte of þe greynes.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9887 Þis castel..Dunward þan es it polist slight.

?c1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Cambr. Ii.3.21) (1886) i. pr. i. 3 This companye of Muses Iblamyd, casten wrothly the cheere downward to the Erthe.

c1450 Recipes (Douce 55) x (MED) Tourne the brede dounwarde in the panne.

a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 5 Þe necke of þe glas be turned dounward, & þe botum be turned vpward.

1519 W. Horman Vulgaria iii. f. 31^v His nase was bouchyd aboue, and flat downeward.

1578 J. Banister Hist. Man iv. f. 47 They [sc. muscles] moue the eye both vpward and downward.

1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper ii. 115 [St Peter] was crucified..with his head downward.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 463 Dagon his Name, Sea Monster, upward Man And downward Fish.

1707 London Gaz. No. 4338/4 Printed with a Horse-shoe, with Claws downward.

1793 R. Southey Triumph of Woman 302 Why downward droops his musing head?

1837 Family Mag. 342/2 The chimpanzee's arms have the hair inclining downward from the shoulder to the elbow, and upward from the wrist to the same.

1855 J. Scoffern in Orr's Circle Sci.: Elem. Chem. 24 Metallic cones, ranged apices downward.

1903 Zoologist 7 143 I was attracted by the sight of a Black-legged Kittiwake..flying with one leg hanging downward as if broken.

1935 H. M. Stone & A. Stone Marriage Man. (1936) vii. 249 The woman in the so-called ‘knee-chest’ position, that is kneeling face downward.

1983 J. M. Coetzee Life & Times Michael K i. 95 Every time he looked downward he grew dizzy.

2001 Nat. New Eng. May 5/2 A male nuthatch stopped in its tracks on the trunk of a maple tree, head downward and looking like he was about to tumble to the ground.

c. Used to define and include an area below a certain point or part (specified by from), as from the knee downward; = downwards adv. 1c. Cf. down adv. 1b.

ΚΠ

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 5073 Hire clothes..sche rihte, That noman dounward fro the kne Scholde eny thing of hire se.

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 24 (MED) A beste..had þe schappe of a man fra þe nauel dunward and fra þeine vpward þe schappe of a gayte.

c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 37 (MED) The wombe is y-callid al þe regioun of þe nutritis þe which duriþ fro þe midrif dounward wiþinne and wiþouten anoon to þe kideneiris, or reynes, and to þe schare.

?c1510 tr. Newe Landes & People founde by Kynge of Portyngale sig. Div^v Fro y^e myddell donwarde ben they lyke the halfe neder parte of an horse.

1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 86 Vpon euery corner of the Plynth, from the Coronice downeward, there was a foote lyke a Harpies.

1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 25 The latter is also a Jew from the girdle downward, for he is both circumcised and christened.

1747 G. Edwards Nat. Hist. Birds II. 65 From the Throat downward the whole under Side is a little mixed with Green.

1843 Boston Misc. Jan. 20/2 His left leg from his knee downward was bound up and bandaged.

1941 Science 28 Feb. 211 The suggested shells are, therefore, from the surface downward:..the lithosphere,..the asthenosphere,..the mesosphere.

2011 P. Bush tr. T. Solana in E. V. López & C. Ospina Barcelona Noir 123 If she'd not been pale as marble from the neck downward, you'd have said she was asleep.

3. In a southerly direction; to a place which is at a lower latitude; = downwards adv. 3. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > geodetic references > [adverb] > latitude

downwarda1387

downwards1577

high1662

aloft1805

latitudinally1853

the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > South > [adverb]

southeOE

southrighteOE

southwardeOE

southwardseOE

southenOE

downwarda1387

south'ard1485

south side1489

southlya1552

downwards1577

southerly1577

southwardly1579

southernly1594

south-by1762

a-south1807

south-away1816

downbound1880

southbound1891

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 105 (MED) Þe merkes [of Mercia]..were..in þe norþ þe ryuer of Humber, And so westward and dounward [L. descendendo occidentaliter] anon to þe ryuer Mersee.

1625 P. Heylyn Μικρόκοσμος (rev. ed.) 55 The kingdome embraced the Towne and Territories extending ouer the Southeast of Castile, now called Campo de Calatrava, & so downward toward Murcia.

1725 J. Stevens tr. A. de Herrera Tordesillas Gen. Hist. Amer. I. ii. viii. 110 They would not molest..any other Islands, or Coasts discover'd, or not discover'd, from the Canary Islands downward towards Guinea.

1898 E. A. Sherman Fifty Years Masonry in Calif. iv. 43 The vessel directed by him set sail downward along the coast.

2009 Pioneer (India) (Nexis) 21 Nov. We'll sail downward against the wind, so it shouldn't be too bad.

4. Towards something which is lower in order or status; to a worse position or condition; = downwards adv. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [adverb]

worseeOE

waurc1175

downhilla1398

downwarda1400

worser1547

bastardlike1563

degenerously1627

degenerately1645

witheringly1815

the world > action or operation > adversity > [adverb] > from prosperous condition

downc1175

downward1596

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1943 Fra me dun-ward drogh man his thoght.

c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 48 In þe lyne of kynrede dounward, Þi sone to þe is in þe firste degre.

1566 J. Rastell Third Bk. beware of M. Iewel f. 162^v No surely, the Effect can not worke vpward towardes the cause, or worke so excellently douneward, as the cause.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 260 The Peichtis in thair guddis and ryches dounward began to declyne.

1659 J. Moxon Tutor to Astron. & Geogr. v. i. 145 The Meridian lines on the Globe..shall cut the Quadrant of Altitude in the number of degrees (counted downward) that each Hour-line is distant from the other side the Noon-line.

a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 160 God carries his people's circumstances downward..till they come to that point.

1850 R. W. Emerson Montaigne in Representative Men iv. 184 Things seem to tend downward, to justify despondency.

1852 W. Fishbough Macrocosm & Microcosm I. v. 45 Thus the animal kingdom, traced downward to its lowest and simplest forms, finally loses its character as animal, and merges into the vegetable.

1902 A. M. Fairbairn Philos. Christian Relig. i. i. 40 If we follow the egressive method, we simply reverse the procedure, and reason downward from the beginning.

1938 J. W. Day Dog in Sport v. 77 From Royal circles the snaky ‘sausage dog’ permeated downward through the aristocracy to the ranks of the common or show-bench exhibitors.

2012 Atlantic Apr. 54/2 Production and employment kept spiralling downward.

B. adj.

a. Without reference to physical motion or position: moving, leading, or directed towards a worse position or condition; moving or directed towards the lower end of a scale.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [adjective] > declining or deteriorating

downwardc1390

downhill1565

twilight-like1848

c1390 (c1350) Proprium Sanctorum in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1888) 81 113 (MED) For flesch of his owne kynde Is heui and doneward, as we fynde.

1590 Sir P. Sidney Covntesse of Pembrokes Arcadia ii. ii. f. 104^v At the lowest of my downward thoughts.

1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Sigismonda & Guiscardo in Fables 136 Thy low Fall..Shews downward Appetite to mix with Mud.

1730 J. Thomson Summer in Seasons 90 A Hambden..Who stem'd the torrent of a downward age, To slavery prone.

1875 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) III. xiii. 303 Steps in a downward scale.

1894 Chicago Advance 24 May A downward development toward devilhood.

1901 Daily Chron. 26 Nov. 5/1 The downward tendency in yesterday's thermometer readings.

1957 Stud. in Philol. 54 157 Antony's downward course after Actium.

1987 S. S. Cohen Manuf. Matters xvii. 261 Policy..can handicap national producers and accelerate a downward spiral of weakening production capability.

2015 Radio Times 27 June (South/West ed.) 52/1 From their heyday as the young turks of New Wave British heavy metal..through a downward turn in fortunes during the 90s, Maiden have hung on in there.

b. Moving, leading, or directed towards a lower place or level; descending; inclined downward.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [adjective]

descendantc1429

downwith1488

downward1552

vailinga1639

down1642

descending1700

dipping1817

downcoming1922

the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having downward direction

nethewardeOE

netherwarda1300

prone?a1425

downward1552

clined1594

down1642

groundward1878

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Downewarde, præceps.

?1560 T. Norton Orations of Arsanes sig. M.iiij A glumme silent clokyng of trecherie, an earthly downeward looke..tendyng to the ground and to hellward.

1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Giiij This foule..Boare, Whose downeward eye still looketh for a graue.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 138 The downward track.

1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Cymon & Iphigenia in Fables 557 It rested to dismiss the downward weight, Or raise him upward to his former height.

1728 J. Thomson Spring 12 In the Western Sky, the downward Sun Looks out.

1798 H. M. Williams Tour Switzerland 199 The downward flight of the pouncing hawk.

1843 U.S. Patent 3,142 1/1 A downward projection in the box..prevents the spring head from protruding out at this end of the box.

1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 146 The downward current of the river.

1924 E. C. M. Shepherd Motor Car ii. 23 When a piston is..on the point of changing from an upward motion to a downward motion, it is said to have reached top dead centre.

1944 J. Millar in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder ix. 159/1 A cleat is fixed on their lower side to prevent them from slipping or turning over under the downward pressure.

2006 Time Out N.Y. 20 July 20/3 A downward glance at the NYC asphalt typically is no treat for the eyes.

†2. Lying or situated below; lower. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective] > lower in position

netherOE

nethermorea1382

downwarda1400

inferial?a1475

inferior?a1475

subject?a1475

lower1611

subordinate1648

female1652

lowermore1663

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 9926 Þat rechis to þe donwar [Trin. Cambr. neþemast] light.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 59 Aurora..lights the downward Heav'n.

1824 T. Campbell Theodric 138 The waste and wild Schreckhorn..frowning..Upon a downward world of pastoral charms.

†C. prep.

From a higher to a lower part of; = down prep. 2. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1705 Romynge outward..Downward a steyre in to an herber grene.

c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 3 A corde..he hadde set dounward the wal.

Compounds

C1. With participles forming adjectives, as downward-bending, downward-curved, downward-directed, downward-looking, downward-pointing, etc.

ΚΠ

1595 G. Chapman Ouids Banquet of Sence sig. B2 The downward burning flame, Of her rich hayre did threaten new accesse, Of ventrous Phaeton to scorch the fields.

1615 tr. C. van de Passe Garden of Flowers ii. sig. D^v/1 The downe-warde bendinge leaues are stript with sad purple flames.

1752 M. Browne Sunday Thoughts (new ed.) iii, in Wks. & Rest of Creation 206 See where at length the downward-bending Sun His low, broad Orb of setting Splendours rests.

1820 P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound ii. v. 95 Downward-gazing flowers.

1865 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 150 A block of copse Close-rooted in the downward-hollowing fields.

1871 R. Browning Balaustion 84 The downward-dwelling people.

1877 Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. Territories 3 515 A strong downward-directed spine.

1878 B. Taylor Prince Deukalion iii. i. 97 For him that loves, the downward-stooping moon Still finds a Latmos.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xiv. [Oxen of the Sun] 366 Exterior splendour may be the surface of a downwardtending lutulent reality.

1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 12/1 She..sat down briskly at the sewing-machine,..her fingers deftly guiding Mrs. Horner's checked gingham beneath the downward-stitching needle.

2003 Guardian 4 Dec. (Life section) 7/4 Deinotherium, a creature with downward-curved lower tusks, was also found.

2015 B. W. Ellis Chesapeake Gardening & Landscaping vi. 191/1 Canada lily..bears branched clusters of downward-pointing, widely trumpet-shaped yellow flowers with maroon spots.

C2.

downward dog n. (also downward-facing dog and with capital initials) Yoga a position in which the body assumes an inverted-V shape, with the hands and feet on the floor, and the buttocks pointing upwards. [After modern Sanskrit adhomukha-śvān'-āsana ( < adho , combining form of adhas below (see under prep.) + mukha mouth, face (see mooey n.) + śvāna (derivative of śvan dog: see hound n.¹) + āsana asana n.).]

ΚΠ

1977 S. Norton Yoga for People over Fifty xii. 78 Back Lengthening. This simple exercise feels wonderful and is a preparation for the Downward Facing Dog. Great for the back and stretches the legs.

1979 J. M. Couch & N. Weaver Runner's World Yoga Bk. xiii. 125 Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana).

2003 Here's Health Sept. 48/1 My heels are much nearer the floor in downward-facing dog and I know my balance has improved.

2013 Runner's World July 82/4 Do 10–15 minutes of dynamic yoga: a knee hug, low lunge, downward dog and plank.

downward-forward adj. In a downward and forward direction.

ΚΠ

1855 J. Chiosso Gymnastic Polymachinon 46 (heading) Downward Forward Traction, with Permanent Extension.

1964 J. C. Catford in D. Abercrombie et al. Daniel Jones 35 A downward-forward displacement of the hyoid bone..can easily be observed.

downward-mobile adj. moving to a lower social or professional level; losing wealth and status; = downwardly mobile adj. at downwardly adv. Compounds.

ΚΠ

1943 Jrnl. Polynesian Soc. 52 10 The Pakeha females marrying mixed or full blood Maori males are either lower class or else females downward mobile from the lower middle class to the lower class.

1959 V. Packard Status Seekers (1960) xviii. 256 Many socially declining or downward-mobile people turn to alcohol or drugs for support.

1994 Philadelphia Tribune (Nexis) 29 Apr. 1 b Below this..is the steadily downward-mobile, African location known as Soweto.

downward mobility n. movement from a higher to a lower social or professional level; loss of wealth and status.Contrasted with upward mobility which is used much more frequently; see upward mobility at upward adv. 1e.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > social mobility

social mobility1860

mobility1866

downward mobility1929

upward mobility1949

spiralism1957

1929 M. Ginsberg in Econ. Jrnl. 39 562 On the evidence before us there is very little downward mobility from I to III, and this is not in harmony with the suggestion often made that the lower classes are recruited sensibly from the failures of the upper.

1949 H. A. Murray in H. Melville Pierre Introd. p. xxxviii From wealth to penury, from leisure to toil... A sociologist might call it a tragedy of downward mobility, the exact antithesis of the basic American myth.

1993 Esquire Sept. 126/2 Some men tolerate a little downward mobility just fine—just don't settle for no mobility at all. Men treading water in their careers tend to check out earliest of all.

2008 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 June w11/1 It was the fear of downward mobility, of being cast out of the Mandarin compound..because of low test scores.

Derivatives

ˈdownwardness n. downward position, tendency, or direction.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition > fallen condition

ruina1393

rot1581

declension1642

declinedness1648

downwardness1650

decayedness1702

decline1705

blast1795

1650 W. Charleton tr. J. B. van Helmont Deliramenta Catarrhi 68 The Declivity or downwardnesse of the situation of the members, as in relation to the brain, and the facility of the passages.

1714 Groans of Jamaica 17 The constant Gloominess of his Countenance, the Downwardness of his Looks..and the Coarseness of his Manners.

1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 22 That downwardness of soul.

1862 Exchange June 206 It is, of course, the continued bad traffic..and the slight prospect of improvement in this respect, which cover the market with dullness and downwardness.

2003 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 24 May r16 Everything about the spindly structure emphasizes downwardness.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	downward
释义	downwardadv.adj.prep. Brit. /ˈdaʊnwəd/, U.S. /ˈdaʊnwərd/ Forms: see down adv. and -ward suffix. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Partly formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: adownward adv.; down adv., -ward suffix. Etymology: Partly aphetic < adownward adv., and partly (especially in later use) directly < down adv. + -ward suffix. Compare downwards adv. A. adv. 1. a. In an uninterrupted advance or succession forward in time; onwards. Frequently following a noun or noun phrase introduced by from, as from Moses downward, from the twelfth century downward; = downwards adv. 4a. Now somewhat rare. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > from now or henceforth fortha700 heneOE henforthOE forwardOE anovenOE yetOE downwardc1175 forthwardc1175 furthermorea1300 henforthwardc1300 forne14.. henceforwardc1330 henforwardc1330 hencefortha1375 henceforthwardc1384 hencec1390 furtherwarda1400 forwardsc1400 hyneforwardc1400 henceforwardsa1425 even-forthc1425 forth on1474 henceforthon1490 hynea1500 froforth1536 hyneforth1570 downwards1584 towards1587 here-hence1592 whenceforth1658 whenceforwarda1661 onward1667 onwards1732 from here on out1867 as of now1902 c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 41 Ant Matheus þe godspellere ongon to tellenne fram Abrahame duneweard oððet Cristes acennednysse. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11219 He biginneþþ cristess kinn. To reccnenn..Att abraham. & reccneþþ aȝȝ. Dunnwarrd fra mann to manne. 1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere i. p. ccxlix He coulde shewe theym that all those scryptures fro Moyses downewarde, dyd all prophecye of hym. 1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. to Rdr. sig. A4^v From Christs time downeward. a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iii. vii. 23 A ring the Countie weares, That downward hath succeeded in his house From sonne to sonne. 1679 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation: 1st Pt. iii. 188 The Monks in these Houses abounding in wealth, and living at ease and in idleness, did so degenerate, that from the Twelfth Century downward, their reputation abated much. a1714 J. Sharp Observ. Coinage Eng. in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica No. 35. (1785) 14 From Henry VII. downward, you shall as rarely meet with any coins but what are half-faced. 1807 J. Barlow Columbiad ii. 65 The tribes..attempering to the clime, Still vary downward with the years of time. 1850 G. Grote Hist. Greece VIII. ii. lxvi. 420 All the old laws of Athens, from Solon downward. 1949 M. Hadas tr. J. Burckhardt Age Constantine the Great x. 372 From the apostolic age downward there must always have been visitors to the sites in Palestine which so strikingly combined memories of the ancient covenant between God and man with those of the new. 1958 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 102 7/2 The mantra is repeated in many of the textbooks on architecture from the sixth century downward through the period when the great temples were built. b. Used to indicate that something applies to every member of a particular hierarchy or set: in an uninterrupted succession from the highest member to the lowest; = downwards adv. 4b. ΚΠ a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 132 (MED) In oþer lordeshippes, off the Dukes of Burgoigne downewarde, he takith certayn imposicions. 1605 A. Willet Hexapla in Genesin 300 Some by this ladder vnderstand the genealogie of Christ: Saint Luke setting forth the same by descending from Adam downward, Saint Matthew by ascending from Ioseph vpward. 1683 Last Will & Test. Charter of London 2 To Enjoy & Occupy all from the Bawd to the Whore downward. 1792 J. Belknap Hist. New-Hampsh. III. 20 The spiculæ were of all lengths, from an inch downward. 1877 Atlantic Monthly July 61/1 Thus, from the president downward, through all the grades of official authority, to the electors themselves, civil office becomes a vast corrupting power. 1920 G. A. Clarke Clouds iv. 73 The beautifully waved structure seen in nearly all of the layer-type of clouds from cirrus downward to stratocumulus. 1931 Notes & Queries 22 Aug. 127/2 If these are classified according to the academic method, from Alpha plus downward. 2004 Jrnl. Interdisciplinary Hist. 34 460 The French army was shaped by the private interests of thousands of the propertied elite from the king downward. 2. a. With reference to physical movement or extent: towards a lower place or position; with a descending motion; in a descending direction; = downwards adv. 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [adverb] adowneOE downOE adownwardOE downwardc1175 pronewise1585 descendingly1614 downwardly1662 c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13820 Ȝe shulenn sen..godess enngless. Vppwarrd & dunnwarrd baþe upp onn. Þe manness sune stiȝhenn. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 105 Ech god giue..cumeð of heuene dunward. ?a1200 (?OE) Bounds (Sawyer 1380) in D. Hooke Landscape Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire (1994) 68 Onlang ðane riewei in ða eordbriche, & ðonan duneward in ða lynleie, & of þare leie iu ðone Swinseaþ. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7477 As hii þat donward come. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. xiii. xxiv. 675 A drope..falleth downeward by his owne heuynesse. c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1871) l. 490 From the morwe..Tyl dounward drow the sunne. a1450 ( tr. Vegetius De Re Militari (Douce) f. 75 (MED) Alle maner schott oþer castynge..is miȝtier and heuyere fallynge dounward þan vpward. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings xx. 10 It is an easy thinge for the shadowe to go ten degrees downewarde. 1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie v. 29 We doe but creepe vppon the Earth, or rather be so loppeheauie that wee sinke still downeward. 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 777 By the benefit of this adhesion or cleauing the blade also is mooued downward by this thirde muscle. 1651 J. French Art Distillation i. 40 This Oil taken inwardly worketh upward and downward. 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite iii, in Fables 65 The Gods came downward to behold the Wars, Sharpning their Sights, and leaning from their Stars. 1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland Oberon viii. lx. 81 Downward she rushes in this dreary grave..Become, ah! would to heav'n! herself a senseless stone. 1805 R. Southey Madoc ii. xvi. 335 The blade..slivering downward, left The cheek-flap dangling. 1887 C. Bowen tr. Virgil Æneid i, in tr. Virgil in Eng. Verse 99 While streams downward run to the sea. 1901 Law Times 11 May 29/2 An elevator car..passed downward until it struck the bumpers at the bottom of the shaft. 1967 I. L. Idriess Opals & Sapphires 48 A seam running downward from the roof. 1969 D. F. Costello Prairie World (1975) iv. 62 The radicle, which grows downward to form the first root. 1999 D. Weber On Basilisk Station xxviii. 273 He plummeted downward, the rest of his squad close behind him. b. With reference to position, direction, or location: so as to be pointed or directed towards the ground; facing the ground; in a lower part or position; = downwards adv. 1b.See also to look downward 1 at look v. Phrasal verbs 1. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > low position > [adverb] netherOE downlOE downwardc1225 lowlyc1330 downwards?a1425 low-downc1425 abasea1450 lowera1475 baselya1500 humbly1746 the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in downward direction adowneOE netherwardsOE shireOE netherOE netherOE netherwardOE downOE adownwardOE downwardslOE downwardc1225 downhilla1398 alowc1450 downwith1488 downside1664 dahn1849 c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) l. 869 Heo biheolt uppart wið up aheuen heorte ant, cneolinde dunewart, þus to Crist cleopede. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 323 He heet honge a briȝt swerd..even above his heved by an horshere, and þe poynt dounward evene to his hevedward. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. clvi. 1053 Þe heedes of corne..bendeþ somdel dounward by heuynesse and weighte of þe greynes. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9887 Þis castel..Dunward þan es it polist slight. ?c1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Cambr. Ii.3.21) (1886) i. pr. i. 3 This companye of Muses Iblamyd, casten wrothly the cheere downward to the Erthe. c1450 Recipes (Douce 55) x (MED) Tourne the brede dounwarde in the panne. a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 5 Þe necke of þe glas be turned dounward, & þe botum be turned vpward. 1519 W. Horman Vulgaria iii. f. 31^v His nase was bouchyd aboue, and flat downeward. 1578 J. Banister Hist. Man iv. f. 47 They [sc. muscles] moue the eye both vpward and downward. 1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper ii. 115 [St Peter] was crucified..with his head downward. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 463 Dagon his Name, Sea Monster, upward Man And downward Fish. View more context for this quotation 1707 London Gaz. No. 4338/4 Printed with a Horse-shoe, with Claws downward. 1793 R. Southey Triumph of Woman 302 Why downward droops his musing head? 1837 Family Mag. 342/2 The chimpanzee's arms have the hair inclining downward from the shoulder to the elbow, and upward from the wrist to the same. 1855 J. Scoffern in Orr's Circle Sci.: Elem. Chem. 24 Metallic cones, ranged apices downward. 1903 Zoologist 7 143 I was attracted by the sight of a Black-legged Kittiwake..flying with one leg hanging downward as if broken. 1935 H. M. Stone & A. Stone Marriage Man. (1936) vii. 249 The woman in the so-called ‘knee-chest’ position, that is kneeling face downward. 1983 J. M. Coetzee Life & Times Michael K i. 95 Every time he looked downward he grew dizzy. 2001 Nat. New Eng. May 5/2 A male nuthatch stopped in its tracks on the trunk of a maple tree, head downward and looking like he was about to tumble to the ground. c. Used to define and include an area below a certain point or part (specified by from), as from the knee downward; = downwards adv. 1c. Cf. down adv. 1b. ΚΠ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 5073 Hire clothes..sche rihte, That noman dounward fro the kne Scholde eny thing of hire se. ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 24 (MED) A beste..had þe schappe of a man fra þe nauel dunward and fra þeine vpward þe schappe of a gayte. c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 37 (MED) The wombe is y-callid al þe regioun of þe nutritis þe which duriþ fro þe midrif dounward wiþinne and wiþouten anoon to þe kideneiris, or reynes, and to þe schare. ?c1510 tr. Newe Landes & People founde by Kynge of Portyngale sig. Div^v Fro y^e myddell donwarde ben they lyke the halfe neder parte of an horse. 1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 86 Vpon euery corner of the Plynth, from the Coronice downeward, there was a foote lyke a Harpies. 1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 25 The latter is also a Jew from the girdle downward, for he is both circumcised and christened. 1747 G. Edwards Nat. Hist. Birds II. 65 From the Throat downward the whole under Side is a little mixed with Green. 1843 Boston Misc. Jan. 20/2 His left leg from his knee downward was bound up and bandaged. 1941 Science 28 Feb. 211 The suggested shells are, therefore, from the surface downward:..the lithosphere,..the asthenosphere,..the mesosphere. 2011 P. Bush tr. T. Solana in E. V. López & C. Ospina Barcelona Noir 123 If she'd not been pale as marble from the neck downward, you'd have said she was asleep. 3. In a southerly direction; to a place which is at a lower latitude; = downwards adv. 3. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > geodetic references > [adverb] > latitude downwarda1387 downwards1577 high1662 aloft1805 latitudinally1853 the world > the earth > direction > cardinal points > South > [adverb] southeOE southrighteOE southwardeOE southwardseOE southenOE downwarda1387 south'ard1485 south side1489 southlya1552 downwards1577 southerly1577 southwardly1579 southernly1594 south-by1762 a-south1807 south-away1816 downbound1880 southbound1891 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 105 (MED) Þe merkes [of Mercia]..were..in þe norþ þe ryuer of Humber, And so westward and dounward [L. descendendo occidentaliter] anon to þe ryuer Mersee. 1625 P. Heylyn Μικρόκοσμος (rev. ed.) 55 The kingdome embraced the Towne and Territories extending ouer the Southeast of Castile, now called Campo de Calatrava, & so downward toward Murcia. 1725 J. Stevens tr. A. de Herrera Tordesillas Gen. Hist. Amer. I. ii. viii. 110 They would not molest..any other Islands, or Coasts discover'd, or not discover'd, from the Canary Islands downward towards Guinea. 1898 E. A. Sherman Fifty Years Masonry in Calif. iv. 43 The vessel directed by him set sail downward along the coast. 2009 Pioneer (India) (Nexis) 21 Nov. We'll sail downward against the wind, so it shouldn't be too bad. 4. Towards something which is lower in order or status; to a worse position or condition; = downwards adv. 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [adverb] worseeOE waurc1175 downhilla1398 downwarda1400 worser1547 bastardlike1563 degenerously1627 degenerately1645 witheringly1815 the world > action or operation > adversity > [adverb] > from prosperous condition downc1175 downward1596 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1943 Fra me dun-ward drogh man his thoght. c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 48 In þe lyne of kynrede dounward, Þi sone to þe is in þe firste degre. 1566 J. Rastell Third Bk. beware of M. Iewel f. 162^v No surely, the Effect can not worke vpward towardes the cause, or worke so excellently douneward, as the cause. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 260 The Peichtis in thair guddis and ryches dounward began to declyne. 1659 J. Moxon Tutor to Astron. & Geogr. v. i. 145 The Meridian lines on the Globe..shall cut the Quadrant of Altitude in the number of degrees (counted downward) that each Hour-line is distant from the other side the Noon-line. a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 160 God carries his people's circumstances downward..till they come to that point. 1850 R. W. Emerson Montaigne in Representative Men iv. 184 Things seem to tend downward, to justify despondency. 1852 W. Fishbough Macrocosm & Microcosm I. v. 45 Thus the animal kingdom, traced downward to its lowest and simplest forms, finally loses its character as animal, and merges into the vegetable. 1902 A. M. Fairbairn Philos. Christian Relig. i. i. 40 If we follow the egressive method, we simply reverse the procedure, and reason downward from the beginning. 1938 J. W. Day Dog in Sport v. 77 From Royal circles the snaky ‘sausage dog’ permeated downward through the aristocracy to the ranks of the common or show-bench exhibitors. 2012 Atlantic Apr. 54/2 Production and employment kept spiralling downward. B. adj. 1. a. Without reference to physical motion or position: moving, leading, or directed towards a worse position or condition; moving or directed towards the lower end of a scale. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > worse > [adjective] > declining or deteriorating downwardc1390 downhill1565 twilight-like1848 c1390 (c1350) Proprium Sanctorum in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1888) 81 113 (MED) For flesch of his owne kynde Is heui and doneward, as we fynde. 1590 Sir P. Sidney Covntesse of Pembrokes Arcadia ii. ii. f. 104^v At the lowest of my downward thoughts. 1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Sigismonda & Guiscardo in Fables 136 Thy low Fall..Shews downward Appetite to mix with Mud. 1730 J. Thomson Summer in Seasons 90 A Hambden..Who stem'd the torrent of a downward age, To slavery prone. 1875 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) III. xiii. 303 Steps in a downward scale. 1894 Chicago Advance 24 May A downward development toward devilhood. 1901 Daily Chron. 26 Nov. 5/1 The downward tendency in yesterday's thermometer readings. 1957 Stud. in Philol. 54 157 Antony's downward course after Actium. 1987 S. S. Cohen Manuf. Matters xvii. 261 Policy..can handicap national producers and accelerate a downward spiral of weakening production capability. 2015 Radio Times 27 June (South/West ed.) 52/1 From their heyday as the young turks of New Wave British heavy metal..through a downward turn in fortunes during the 90s, Maiden have hung on in there. b. Moving, leading, or directed towards a lower place or level; descending; inclined downward. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [adjective] descendantc1429 downwith1488 downward1552 vailinga1639 down1642 descending1700 dipping1817 downcoming1922 the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adjective] > having downward direction nethewardeOE netherwarda1300 prone?a1425 downward1552 clined1594 down1642 groundward1878 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Downewarde, præceps. ?1560 T. Norton Orations of Arsanes sig. M.iiij A glumme silent clokyng of trecherie, an earthly downeward looke..tendyng to the ground and to hellward. 1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Giiij This foule..Boare, Whose downeward eye still looketh for a graue. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 138 The downward track. View more context for this quotation 1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Cymon & Iphigenia in Fables 557 It rested to dismiss the downward weight, Or raise him upward to his former height. 1728 J. Thomson Spring 12 In the Western Sky, the downward Sun Looks out. 1798 H. M. Williams Tour Switzerland 199 The downward flight of the pouncing hawk. 1843 U.S. Patent 3,142 1/1 A downward projection in the box..prevents the spring head from protruding out at this end of the box. 1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 146 The downward current of the river. 1924 E. C. M. Shepherd Motor Car ii. 23 When a piston is..on the point of changing from an upward motion to a downward motion, it is said to have reached top dead centre. 1944 J. Millar in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder ix. 159/1 A cleat is fixed on their lower side to prevent them from slipping or turning over under the downward pressure. 2006 Time Out N.Y. 20 July 20/3 A downward glance at the NYC asphalt typically is no treat for the eyes. †2. Lying or situated below; lower. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > low position > [adjective] > lower in position netherOE nethermorea1382 downwarda1400 inferial?a1475 inferior?a1475 subject?a1475 lower1611 subordinate1648 female1652 lowermore1663 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 9926 Þat rechis to þe donwar [Trin. Cambr. neþemast] light. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 59 Aurora..lights the downward Heav'n. View more context for this quotation 1824 T. Campbell Theodric 138 The waste and wild Schreckhorn..frowning..Upon a downward world of pastoral charms. †C. prep. From a higher to a lower part of; = down prep. 2. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1705 Romynge outward..Downward a steyre in to an herber grene. c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 3 A corde..he hadde set dounward the wal. Compounds C1. With participles forming adjectives, as downward-bending, downward-curved, downward-directed, downward-looking, downward-pointing, etc. ΚΠ 1595 G. Chapman Ouids Banquet of Sence sig. B2 The downward burning flame, Of her rich hayre did threaten new accesse, Of ventrous Phaeton to scorch the fields. 1615 tr. C. van de Passe Garden of Flowers ii. sig. D^v/1 The downe-warde bendinge leaues are stript with sad purple flames. 1752 M. Browne Sunday Thoughts (new ed.) iii, in Wks. & Rest of Creation 206 See where at length the downward-bending Sun His low, broad Orb of setting Splendours rests. 1820 P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound ii. v. 95 Downward-gazing flowers. 1865 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 150 A block of copse Close-rooted in the downward-hollowing fields. 1871 R. Browning Balaustion 84 The downward-dwelling people. 1877 Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. Territories 3 515 A strong downward-directed spine. 1878 B. Taylor Prince Deukalion iii. i. 97 For him that loves, the downward-stooping moon Still finds a Latmos. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xiv. [Oxen of the Sun] 366 Exterior splendour may be the surface of a downwardtending lutulent reality. 1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 12/1 She..sat down briskly at the sewing-machine,..her fingers deftly guiding Mrs. Horner's checked gingham beneath the downward-stitching needle. 2003 Guardian 4 Dec. (Life section) 7/4 Deinotherium, a creature with downward-curved lower tusks, was also found. 2015 B. W. Ellis Chesapeake Gardening & Landscaping vi. 191/1 Canada lily..bears branched clusters of downward-pointing, widely trumpet-shaped yellow flowers with maroon spots. C2. downward dog n. (also downward-facing dog and with capital initials) Yoga a position in which the body assumes an inverted-V shape, with the hands and feet on the floor, and the buttocks pointing upwards. [After modern Sanskrit adhomukha-śvān'-āsana ( < adho , combining form of adhas below (see under prep.) + mukha mouth, face (see mooey n.) + śvāna (derivative of śvan dog: see hound n.¹) + āsana asana n.).] ΚΠ 1977 S. Norton Yoga for People over Fifty xii. 78 Back Lengthening. This simple exercise feels wonderful and is a preparation for the Downward Facing Dog. Great for the back and stretches the legs. 1979 J. M. Couch & N. Weaver Runner's World Yoga Bk. xiii. 125 Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). 2003 Here's Health Sept. 48/1 My heels are much nearer the floor in downward-facing dog and I know my balance has improved. 2013 Runner's World July 82/4 Do 10–15 minutes of dynamic yoga: a knee hug, low lunge, downward dog and plank. downward-forward adj. In a downward and forward direction. ΚΠ 1855 J. Chiosso Gymnastic Polymachinon 46 (heading) Downward Forward Traction, with Permanent Extension. 1964 J. C. Catford in D. Abercrombie et al. Daniel Jones 35 A downward-forward displacement of the hyoid bone..can easily be observed. downward-mobile adj. moving to a lower social or professional level; losing wealth and status; = downwardly mobile adj. at downwardly adv. Compounds. ΚΠ 1943 Jrnl. Polynesian Soc. 52 10 The Pakeha females marrying mixed or full blood Maori males are either lower class or else females downward mobile from the lower middle class to the lower class. 1959 V. Packard Status Seekers (1960) xviii. 256 Many socially declining or downward-mobile people turn to alcohol or drugs for support. 1994 Philadelphia Tribune (Nexis) 29 Apr. 1 b Below this..is the steadily downward-mobile, African location known as Soweto. downward mobility n. movement from a higher to a lower social or professional level; loss of wealth and status.Contrasted with upward mobility which is used much more frequently; see upward mobility at upward adv. 1e. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social class > [noun] > social mobility social mobility1860 mobility1866 downward mobility1929 upward mobility1949 spiralism1957 1929 M. Ginsberg in Econ. Jrnl. 39 562 On the evidence before us there is very little downward mobility from I to III, and this is not in harmony with the suggestion often made that the lower classes are recruited sensibly from the failures of the upper. 1949 H. A. Murray in H. Melville Pierre Introd. p. xxxviii From wealth to penury, from leisure to toil... A sociologist might call it a tragedy of downward mobility, the exact antithesis of the basic American myth. 1993 Esquire Sept. 126/2 Some men tolerate a little downward mobility just fine—just don't settle for no mobility at all. Men treading water in their careers tend to check out earliest of all. 2008 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 June w11/1 It was the fear of downward mobility, of being cast out of the Mandarin compound..because of low test scores. Derivatives ˈdownwardness n. downward position, tendency, or direction. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > fall from prosperous or thriving condition > fallen condition ruina1393 rot1581 declension1642 declinedness1648 downwardness1650 decayedness1702 decline1705 blast1795 1650 W. Charleton tr. J. B. van Helmont Deliramenta Catarrhi 68 The Declivity or downwardnesse of the situation of the members, as in relation to the brain, and the facility of the passages. 1714 Groans of Jamaica 17 The constant Gloominess of his Countenance, the Downwardness of his Looks..and the Coarseness of his Manners. 1839 P. J. Bailey Festus 22 That downwardness of soul. 1862 Exchange June 206 It is, of course, the continued bad traffic..and the slight prospect of improvement in this respect, which cover the market with dullness and downwardness. 2003 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 24 May r16 Everything about the spindly structure emphasizes downwardness. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adv.adj.prep.c1175
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