[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

refraction \refrac"tion\ r?fr?k"sh?n, n. f. r'efraction.
   1. the act of refracting, or the state of being refracted.
      1913 webster

   2. the change in the direction of ray of light, heat, or the
      like, when it enters obliquely a medium of a different
      density from that through which it has previously moved.
      1913 webster

            refraction out of the rarer medium into the denser,
            is made towards the perpendicular.    --sir i.
                                                  newton.
      1913 webster

   3. astron.
      a the change in the direction of a ray of light, and,
          consequently, in the apparent position of a heavenly
          body from which it emanates, arising from its passage
          through the earth's atmosphere; -- hence distinguished
          as atmospheric refraction, or astronomical refraction.
      b the correction which is to be deducted from the
          apparent altitude of a heavenly body on account of
          atmospheric refraction, in order to obtain the true
          altitude.
          1913 webster

   angle of refraction opt., the angle which a refracted ray
      makes with the perpendicular to the surface separating the
      two media traversed by the ray.

   conical refraction opt., the refraction of a ray of light
      into an infinite number of rays, forming a hollow cone.
      this occurs when a ray of light is passed through crystals
      of some substances, under certain circumstances. conical
      refraction is of two kinds; external conical refraction,
      in which the ray issues from the crystal in the form of a
      cone, the vertex of which is at the point of emergence;
      and internal conical refraction, in which the ray is
      changed into the form of a cone on entering the crystal,
      from which it issues in the form of a hollow cylinder.
      this singular phenomenon was first discovered by sir w. r.
      hamilton by mathematical reasoning alone, unaided by
      experiment.

   differential refraction astron., the change of the
      apparent place of one object relative to a second object
      near it, due to refraction; also, the correction required
      to be made to the observed relative places of the two
      bodies.

   double refraction opt., the refraction of light in two
      directions, which produces two distinct images. the power
      of double refraction is possessed by all crystals except
      those of the isometric system. a uniaxial crystal is said
      to be optically positive like quartz, or optically
      negative like calcite, or to have positive, or negative,
      double refraction, according as the optic axis is the axis
      of least or greatest elasticity for light; a biaxial
      crystal is similarly designated when the same relation
      holds for the acute bisectrix.

   index of refraction. see under index.

   refraction circle opt., an instrument provided with a
      graduated circle for the measurement of refraction.

   refraction of latitude, longitude, declination, right
   ascension, etc., the change in the apparent latitude,
      longitude, etc., of a heavenly body, due to the effect of
      atmospheric refraction.

   terrestrial refraction, the change in the apparent altitude
      of a distant point on or near the earth's surface, as the
      top of a mountain, arising from the passage of light from
      it to the eye through atmospheric strata of varying
      density.
      1913 webster
see also:
angle of refraction conical refraction differential refraction double refraction index of refraction index 
refraction circle refraction of latitude longitude declination right ascension 
terrestrial refraction 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

declination \dec`lina"tion\, n. l. declinatio a bending aside,
   an avoiding: cf. f. d'eclination a decadence. see
   declension.
   1. the act or state of bending downward; inclination; as,
      declination of the head.
      1913 webster

   2. the act or state of falling off or declining from
      excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline.
      "the declination of monarchy." --bacon.
      1913 webster

            summer . . . is not looked on as a time
            of declination or decay.              --waller.
      1913 webster

   3. the act of deviating or turning aside; oblique motion;
      obliquity; withdrawal.
      1913 webster

            the declination of atoms in their descent.
                                                  --bentley.
      1913 webster

            every declination and violation of the rules.
                                                  --south.
      1913 webster

   4. the act or state of declining or refusing; withdrawal;
      refusal; averseness.
      1913 webster

            the queen's declination from marriage. --stow.
      1913 webster

   5. astron. the angular distance of any object from the
      celestial equator, either northward or southward.
      1913 webster

   6. dialing the arc of the horizon, contained between the
      vertical plane and the prime vertical circle, if reckoned
      from the east or west, or between the meridian and the
      plane, reckoned from the north or south.
      1913 webster

   7. gram. the act of inflecting a word; declension. see
      decline, v. t., 4.
      1913 webster

   angle of declination, the angle made by a descending line,
      or plane, with a horizontal plane.

   circle of declination, a circle parallel to the celestial
      equator.

   declination compass physics, a compass arranged for
      finding the declination of the magnetic needle.

   declination of the compass or declination of the needle,
      the horizontal angle which the magnetic needle makes with
      the true north-and-south line.
      1913 webster
see also:
declension decline angle of declination circle of declination declination compass declination of the compass 
declination of the needle 

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

declination
     n 1: a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual
          falling off from a better state syn: decline ant: improvement
     2: astronomy the angular distance to a point on a celestial
        object measured north or south from the celestial equator;
        expressed in degrees; used with right ascension to specify
        positions on the celestial sphere syn: celestial
        latitude, dec
     3: a downward slope or bend syn: descent, declivity, fall,
         decline, declension, downslope ant: ascent
     4: a polite refusal of an invitation syn: regrets
see also:
decline improvement celestial latitude dec descent declivity 
fall declension downslope ascent regrets 

[4] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

212 moby thesaurus words for "declination":
   cartesian coordinates, aberrancy, aberration, abjuration,
   abjurement, abnegation, abscissa, altitude, azimuth, bend, bias,
   branching off, cascade, cataract, chucking, chucking out, chute,
   circuitousness, collapse, comedown, contempt, contradiction,
   coordinates, corner, crash, crook, crosswiseness, curve,
   cylindrical coordinates, debacle, debasement, decadence, decadency,
   declension, declinature, decline, declining, deflection, deflexure,
   defluxion, deformation, degeneracy, degenerateness, degeneration,
   degradation, demotion, denial, departure, depravation,
   depravedness, depreciation, deprivation, derogation, descending,
   descension, descent, despisal, despising, deterioration, detour,
   deviance, deviancy, deviation, deviousness, devolution,
   diagonality, digression, disagreement, disallowance, disapproval,
   discard, disclaimer, disclamation, discounting, discursion,
   dismissal, disobedience, disownment, disregard, dissent,
   divagation, divarication, divergence, diversion, dogleg, double,
   down, downbend, downcome, downcurve, downfall, downflow, downgrade,
   downpour, downrush, downtrend, downturn, downward mobility,
   downward trend, drift, drifting, drop, dropping, dying, ebb,
   ebbing, effeteness, equator coordinates, errantry, exception,
   exclusion, excursion, excursus, exorbitation, fading, failing,
   failure, failure of nerve, fall, falling, falling-off, gravitation,
   hairpin, holding back, ignoring, inclination, indirection,
   indirectness, involution, lapse, latitude, longitude, loss of tone,
   nay, negation, negative, negative answer, nix, no, nonacceptance,
   nonapproval, noncompliance, nonconformity, nonconsent,
   nonconsideration, nonobservance, obliqueness, obliquity, ordinate,
   passing by, pererration, plummeting, polar coordinates, pounce,
   putting away, putting out, rambling, rapids, rebuff, recantation,
   refusal, regression, rejection, renouncement, repudiation, repulse,
   retention, retrocession, retrogradation, retrogression,
   right ascension, scouting, sheer, shift, shifting, shifting course,
   shifting path, skew, skewness, slant, slippage, slump, spurning,
   squint, stoop, straying, sweep, swerve, swerving, swinging, swoop,
   tack, throwing out, thumbs-down, transverseness, turn, turndown,
   turning, turning out, twist, unwillingness, vagary, variation,
   veer, wandering, wane, waning, warp, waterfall, withholding, yaw,
   zigzag

Declination >> D Words
Declination, definition of term: Declination
declination_pag1.html

GSC Geomagnetism - new Web site / CGC Géomagnetisme - nouveau site Web
... ..
http://www.geolab.nrcan.gc.ca/geomag/mirp_e.shtml, score=100, date indexed=December 21, 2005, 4:56 am

Magnetic Declination (Variation) Home
...Magnetic Declination. Declination (degrees west) at Washington, DC ... magnetic declination changes over time. Declination also changes with ... ..
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/declination.shtml, score=96, date indexed=December 31, 2005, 7:19 pm

... ..
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/seg/gmag/fldsnth1.pl, score=95, date indexed=December 21, 2005, 3:45 am

Find Your Declination Adjustment Value
...Find Your Declination Value / How To Use Your Declination Value / ... If you are not sure what to do with these declination adjustment ... ..
http://www.thecompassstore.com/decvar.html, score=92, date indexed=December 29, 2005, 7:01 pm

Declination SIG
...declination history. .... links ©Copyright 2002 by the Declination SIG ... more on our editor's page. .... declination resources. .... ... ..
http://www.declination.org/, score=85, date indexed=December 29, 2005, 11:36 pm

Footprints by Dish Size - Latitude Declination Chart - C/Ku-Band Satellite ...
...Explanation of Declination. Declination angle keeps satellite antenna ... Applying declination/elevation angles.). Declination angle for normal ... ..
http://www.geo-orbit.org/sizepgs/decchartp.html, score=51, date indexed=December 29, 2005, 8:19 pm

Declination - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
...... declination, to mean the same as magnetic declination.. Declination is ... Varying declination. The declination of all celestial objects vary ... ..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declination, score=45, date indexed=January 1, 2006, 6:12 am

Magnetic Declination, Models, Data and Services from NGDC
...Quick-Links Data | Declination | F A Q Geomagnetic Observatory Data ( ... ..
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/, score=40, date indexed=December 30, 2005, 4:07 am

How to use a Compass - Magnetic Declination and uncertainty
...One thing you have to remember in some areas, the declination changes ... The declination is given as e.g. "15 degrees east". When you look at ... ..
http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/lesson3.html, score=40, date indexed=December 21, 2005, 2:23 am

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