Standard Lemma guide

proclitic

noun · 1 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /pɹəʊˈklɪt.ɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /pɹoʊˈklɪt.ɪk/
  • US: [pɹoʊˈklɪɾ.ɪk]
  • Australian: /pɹəʉˈklɪt.ɪk/
  • Australian: [pɹəʉˈklɪɾ.ɪk]
  • rhymes with -ɪtɪk

1

noun

Meaning 1

A clitic that joins with the following word phonetically, graphically, or both.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • In dialectal or poetic English, the article the or preposition to can become the proclitic t'.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek προκλίνω (proklínō, “to lean forward”). By surface analysis, from pro- + clitic.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُلْحَق (mulḥaq) — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Asturian: proclíticu — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Catalan: proclític — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 前附語素 /前附语素 — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Czech: proklitikon — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Danish: proklitikon — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Dutch: procliticum — clitic which joins with the following word
  • French: proclitique — clitic which joins with the following word
  • German: proklitisch — clitic which joins with the following word
  • German: Proklitikon — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Greek: προκλιτικό (proklitikó) — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Irish: réamhchlaonán — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Italian: proclitico — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Japanese: 後接語 (kōsetsugo) — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Norwegian Bokmål: proklitikon — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: proklitikon — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Polish: proklityka — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Portuguese: proclítico — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Russian: проклити́ческий (proklitíčeskij) — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Russian: прокли́тика (proklítika) — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Serbo-Croatian: проклитика (proklitika) — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Sicilian: pruclìticu — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Spanish: proclítico — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Swedish: proklitikon — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Welsh: proclitig — clitic which joins with the following word
  • Welsh: gogwyddair proclitig — clitic which joins with the following word