Standard Lemma guide

heteroclitic

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Irregular in inflection.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Signifying a nominal stem which alternates between more than one form when declined for grammatical case, particularly in the suffix (such as between *-r̥- in the strong stem and *-n̥- in the weak stem).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Indo-European-studies

Examples

  • The Proto-Indo-European term *wódr̥ (“water”) is typical of nouns with heteroclitic stems: the strong stem *wódr̥- occurs in the direct cases while the weak stem *wédn̥- is found instead in the oblique cases, hence the contrast between nominative *wódr̥ and genitive *wédn̥s.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Pertaining to antibodies that react to a wide variety of antigens.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, microbiology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A heteroclitic noun.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Indo-European *sḿ̥teros Proto-Hellenic *hə́teros Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros)lbor. English hetero- English clitic English heteroclitic From hetero- + clitic.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: hétéroclite — irregular in inflection
  • German: heteroklitisch — irregular in inflection
  • Italian: eteroclito — irregular in inflection
  • Latin: heteroclitus — irregular in inflection
  • Latin: heterocliticus — irregular in inflection
  • Russian: разносклоняемый (raznosklonjajemyj) — irregular in inflection