enclitic
noun
en·clit·ic
en-ˈkli-tik 
plural enclitics
: a clitic that is associated with a preceding word : a word that is treated in pronunciation as forming a part of a preceding word and that is often unaccented or contracted
Enclitics are almost always part of a contraction. "You'll," "we've," "they're" and "don't" all have enclitics. The words that precede the enclitics stand on their own, but the enclitics themselves depend on their host words.—
Curtis Honeycutt
Curtis HoneycuttNote: Enclitics are often heard in speech. They are frequently transcribed into print as contractions, such as the ll for will in you'll or the re for are in they're.
compare proclitic
enclitic
adjective
Articles Related to enclitic
Dictionary Entries Near enclitic
Cite this Entry
“Enclitic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enclitic. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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