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enclitic

[en-klit-ik]
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adjective
  1. (of a word) closely connected in pronunciation with the preceding word and not having an independent accent or phonological status.
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noun
  1. an enclitic word, as Latin que “and” in arma virumque, “arms and the man.”
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Origin of enclitic

1650–60; < Late Latin encliticus < Greek enklitikós, equivalent to en- en-2 + klít(os) slope + -ikos -ic
Related formsen·clit·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for enclitic

enclitic

adjective
    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
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noun
  1. an enclitic word or linguistic form
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Compare proclitic
Derived Formsenclitically, adverb

Word Origin

C17: from Late Latin encliticus, from Greek enklitikos, from enklinein to cause to lean, from en- ² + klinein to lean
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for enclitic

1650s (adj.); 1660s (n.), 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 (see en- (2)) + klinein "to lean" (see lean (v.)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper