leaning or lying back in a relaxed position, often on furniture like a chair or couch.
From Latin 're-' meaning 'back' and 'clinare' meaning 'to lean or bend.' The combination literally means 'to lean back,' and this meaning has remained consistent since the word entered English.
Reclining appears constantly in art—from Renaissance paintings of philosophers to modern advertisements—because lying back is universally associated with comfort, thought, and luxury.
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