Definition of: inflection

(in·flek′shən) noun
1. The act of inflecting, the state of being inflected, or that which is inflected; a bending or bend; curvature; angle.
2. Gram. a A pattern of change undergone by words to express grammatical and syntactical relations, as of case, number, gender, person, tense, etc. The inflection of nouns, pronouns and adjectives is called declension; that of verbs, conjugation. b An element denoting the grammatical function of a word, as the use of 's to signify possession in boy's. c An inflected form.
3. Modulation or change of pitch in the voice.
4. Geom. A change in the nature of a curve, as from convex to concave. Also Brit. in·flex′ion: sometimes called flection.♦ The few inflections surviving in English include: s for the regular plural of nouns, and for the third person singular present indicative of verbs; 's for the possessive: -er for the comparative, and -est for the superlative, of many adjectives and adverbs; -ed for the past and past participle of regular (or weak) verbs, and -ing for the present participle.