Etymology
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enclitic

1650s (adj.), in grammar, "subjoined and accentually dependent," said of a word or particle which in regard to accent forms a part of a preceding word and is treated as if one with it; 1660s (n.), "a word accentually connected with a preceding word;" from Late Latin encliticus, from Greek enklitikos "throwing its accent back," literally "leaning on," from verbal adjectival stem of enklinein "to bend, lean on," from en "in" (see en- (2)) + klinein "to lean," from PIE root *klei- "to lean."

Entries linking to enclitic

en- (2)

word-forming element meaning "near, at, in, on, within," from Greek en "in," cognate with Latin in (from PIE root *en "in"), and thus with en- (1). Typically assimilated to em- before -p-, -b-, -m-, -l-, and -r-.

*klei- 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to lean."

It forms all or part of: acclivity; anticline; clemency; client; climate; climax; cline; clinic; clinical; clino-; clitellum; clitoris; decline; declivity; enclitic; heteroclite; incline; ladder; lean (v.); lid; low (n.2) "small hill, eminence;" matroclinous; patroclinous; polyclinic; proclitic; proclivity; recline; synclinal; thermocline.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit srayati "leans," sritah "leaning;" Old Persian cay "to lean;" Lithuanian šlyti "to slope," šlieti "to lean;" Latin clinare "to lean, bend," clivus "declivity," inclinare "cause to bend," declinare "bend down, turn aside;" Greek klinein "to cause to slope, slant, incline;" Old Irish cloin "crooked, wrong;" Middle Irish cle, Welsh cledd "left," literally "slanting").

updated on May 09, 2020

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Dictionary entries near enclitic

enchilada

enchiridion

encircle

encirclement

enclave

enclitic

enclose

enclosure

encode

encomiast

encomienda

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