ENCLITIC


Meaning of ENCLITIC in English

I. (ˈ)en|klid.]ik, inˈk-, -lit], ]ēk also (ˈ)eŋ|- or iŋˈ-\ adjective

Etymology: Late Latin encliticus, from Greek enklitikos, from enklinein to cause to incline, pronounce as an enclitic, from en in + klinein to lean — more at in , lean

1. : leaning or dependent with reference to accent:

a. of a word or particle in Greek or Latin grammar : being without independent accent and being attached in pronunciation to a preceding word in which it may cause certain accentual changes (as Greek te in anthrōpoi te, Latin -ne in videsne )

b. of a word or particle in the grammar of languages other than Greek and Latin : treated in pronunciation as forming a part of the preceding word (as English thee in prithee and not in cannot ) — compare proclitic

2. : inclined — used of the relation of the planes of the fetal head to those of the maternal pelvis; compare synclitic

II. noun

( -s )

: an enclitic word or particle

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.