It is called "slope" to the terrain or surfaces of objects that have a significant incline, such as slopes or ravines. In the same way, the word is used as a synonym for “decadence”, referring to the progressive loss of popularity, quality, beauty or perfection of an object, product, society, among others. In the field of marketing, the period in which a company experiences a drop in sales and, as a consequence, in the income it obtains, is called the decline phase, due to changes in the market. This word originates from the Latin “declīvis”, a word that can be translated as “slope seen from below” or “being in decline”.
Those areas that are inclined, which are normally referred to as cliffs, are unevenness found on the surface of any terrain. Generally, these are formed by erosion or wear, the product of the presence of a body of water with strong currents in the surroundings; in the same way, its origin can be found in the movements of the tectonic plates or simply by being in tectonic pits, also known as ground depressions. The size of these can vary, depending on how their birth occurred, and the general conditions in which the soil is found.
Decline seen as decadence, for its part, is a meaning applicable to specific periods of history, as well as being a qualifier for those objects or people that are beginning to "hit rock bottom." At the business level, marketers like to call the loss of popularity of a product or brand as the phase of decline that may well mean the end of a company or the beginning of a major renovation. This occurs due to the change in the demands proposed by consumers, in addition to the appearance of potential customers, who move according to the imposed conventions.
