anaptotic

American

[an-uhp-tot-ik] / ˌæn əpˈtɒt ɪk /

adjective

Archaic.

(of languages) tending to become uninflected, in accordance with a theory that languages evolve from uninflected to inflected and back.

Etymology

Origin of anaptotic

1840–50; an- ³ + aptote (< Greek áptōton, noun use of neuter of áptōtos uninflected, not falling, equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + ptōtós falling, verbid of píptein to fall) + -ic

Example Sentences

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Having lost, or tending to lose, inflections by phonetic decay; as, anaptotic languages.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023