heteroclite
[ het-er-uh-klahyt ]
/ ˈhɛt ər əˌklaɪt /
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adjective Also het·er·o·clit·ic [het-er-uh-klit-ik], /ˌhɛt ər əˈklɪt ɪk/, het·er·o·clit·i·cal.
irregular or abnormal; anomalous.
Grammar. irregular in inflection; having inflected forms belonging to more than one class of stems.
noun
a person or thing that deviates from the ordinary rule or form.
Grammar. a heteroclite word.
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Origin of heteroclite
1570–80; <Middle French <Late Latin heteroclitus<Greek heteróklitos, equivalent to hetero-hetero- + -klitos, verbid of klī́nein to bend, inflect
Words nearby heteroclite
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for heteroclite
heteroclite
/ (ˈhɛtərəˌklaɪt) /
adjective Also: heteroclitic (ˌhɛtərəˈklɪtɪk)
(esp of the form of a word) irregular or unusual
noun
an irregularly formed word
Word Origin for heteroclite
C16: from Late Latin heteroclitus declining irregularly, from Greek heteroklitos, from hetero- + klinein to bend, inflect
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