enclitic

Enclitics are reduced or contracted forms of words. They are attached to the word that precedes them by an apostrophe, and they are dependent on that word for their meaning.

Enclitics generally consist of just one consonant sound and cannot stand on their own. In English, they are usually the unstressed forms of functional words such as auxiliary verbs, determiners, participles, and pronouns. As such, they have grammatical rather than lexical meaning (compared with suffixes, which create new words through inflection).

en·clit·ic

(ĕn-klĭt′ĭk)

1. A clitic that is attached to the end of another word. In Give 'em the works, the pronoun 'em is an enclitic.

2. A clitic.

adj.

Of or relating to an enclitic or enclisis; forming an accentual unit with the preceding word.

[Late Latin encliticus, from Greek enklitikos, from enklīnein, to lean on : en-, on, in; see en-² + klīnein, to lean; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]

en·clit′i·cize′ (-ə-sīz′) v.

en·clit′i·ci·za′tion (-ə-sĭ-zā′shən), en′clis·is (-klĭs-ĭs) n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

enclitic

(ɪnˈklɪtɪk)

adj

(Linguistics)

a. denoting or relating to a monosyllabic word or form that is treated as a suffix of the preceding word, as Latin -que in populusque

b. (in classical Greek) denoting or relating to a word that throws an accent back onto the preceding word

(Linguistics) an enclitic word or linguistic form

[C17: from Late Latin encliticus, from Greek enklitikos, from enklinein to cause to lean, from en-² + klinein to lean]

enˈclitically adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

en•clit•ic

(ɛnˈklɪt ɪk)

adj.

1. (of a word) closely connected in pronunciation with the preceding word and not having an independent accent or phonological status.

2. an enclitic word, as the form of are in we're.

[1650–60; < Late Latin encliticus < Greek enklitikós <*énclit(os), v. adj. of enklinein to cause to lean on (en- en-2 + klinein to lean1)]

Translations

enclitique

энклитика

enclitic

[ɪnˈklɪtɪk] ADJ → enclítico

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

enclitic

n → Enklitikon nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

enclitic

[ɪnˈklɪtɪk] adj → enclitico/a