enclitic

[ en-klit-ik ]

adjective

1. (of a word) closely connected in pronunciation with the preceding word and not having an independent accent or phonological status.

noun

1. an enclitic word, as Latin que “and” in arma virumque, “arms and the man.”

enclitic

/ ɪnˈklɪtɪk /

adjective

1. 1. denoting or relating to a monosyllabic word or form that is treated as a suffix of the preceding word, as Latin -que in populusque
   2. (in classical Greek) denoting or relating to a word that throws an accent back onto the preceding word

noun

1. an enclitic word or linguistic form

Derived Forms

• enˈclitically, adverb

Other Words From

• en·cliti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of enclitic¹

1650–60; < Late Latin encliticus < Greek enklitikós, equivalent to en- en- ² + klít ( os ) slope + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of enclitic¹

C17: from Late Latin encliticus, from Greek enklitikos, from enklinein to cause to lean, from en- ² + klinein to lean

Example Sentences

Fiction, I'll bet a sovereign, unless it is an essay on extending the sphere of feminine usefulness, or on the doctrine of the enclitic De, or on First Aid to the Sick and Wounded.

From Project Gutenberg

Orthotonē′sis, accentuation of a proclitic or enclitic—opp. to Enclisis.

From Project Gutenberg

It is possible to become so absorbed in the problem of the "enclitic δε," or the structure of the flagella of the Trichomonas, or of the toes of the prehistoric horse, that the student loses the sense of proportion in his work, and even wastes a lifetime in researches which are valueless because not in touch with current knowledge.

From Project Gutenberg

Most of them had as little care for his poetic prose, and as little appreciation or knowledge of good literature as they had of "the enclitic de."

From Project Gutenberg

Notes.—Hotis’ business, Properly based Oun, Enclitic De, these are points in Greek grammar concerning which grammarians have written learned treatises.

From Project Gutenberg