flecto
Latin
Etymology
From Proto-Italic *flektō, of uncertain ultimate origin, lacking any solid Indo-European cognates. Possible Proto-Indo-European predecessors include *bʰleK-, *dʰleK-, and *gʷʰleK-.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈflek.toː/, [ˈfɫ̪ɛkt̪oː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈflek.to/, [ˈflɛkt̪o]
Verb
flectō (present infinitive flectere, perfect active flexī, supine flexum); third conjugation
- I bend, curve or bow
- I deviate, distract
- Synonyms: arceō, prōpulsō, dīvertō, dēclīnō, āvertō, āspernor, dēmoveō, dēflectō, trānsvertō
- I turn or curl
- (figuratively) I persuade, prevail upon, or soften
- Synonyms: persuādeō, convincō, trahō, perpellō, admoneō
Conjugation
Conjugation of flectō (third conjugation) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
indicative | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
active | present | flectō | flectis | flectit | flectimus | flectitis | flectunt |
imperfect | flectēbam | flectēbās | flectēbat | flectēbāmus | flectēbātis | flectēbant | |
future | flectam | flectēs | flectet | flectēmus | flectētis | flectent | |
perfect | flexī | flexistī | flexit | fleximus | flexistis | flexērunt, flexēre | |
pluperfect | flexeram | flexerās | flexerat | flexerāmus | flexerātis | flexerant | |
future perfect | flexerō | flexeris | flexerit | flexerimus | flexeritis | flexerint | |
passive | present | flector | flecteris, flectere | flectitur | flectimur | flectiminī | flectuntur |
imperfect | flectēbar | flectēbāris, flectēbāre | flectēbātur | flectēbāmur | flectēbāminī | flectēbantur | |
future | flectar | flectēris, flectēre | flectētur | flectēmur | flectēminī | flectentur | |
perfect | flexus + present active indicative of sum | ||||||
pluperfect | flexus + imperfect active indicative of sum | ||||||
future perfect | flexus + future active indicative of sum | ||||||
subjunctive | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
active | present | flectam | flectās | flectat | flectāmus | flectātis | flectant |
imperfect | flecterem | flecterēs | flecteret | flecterēmus | flecterētis | flecterent | |
perfect | flexerim | flexerīs | flexerit | flexerīmus | flexerītis | flexerint | |
pluperfect | flexissem | flexissēs | flexisset | flexissēmus | flexissētis | flexissent | |
passive | present | flectar | flectāris, flectāre | flectātur | flectāmur | flectāminī | flectantur |
imperfect | flecterer | flecterēris, flecterēre | flecterētur | flecterēmur | flecterēminī | flecterentur | |
perfect | flexus + present active subjunctive of sum | ||||||
pluperfect | flexus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum | ||||||
imperative | singular | plural | |||||
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
active | present | — | flecte | — | — | flectite | — |
future | — | flectitō | flectitō | — | flectitōte | flectuntō | |
passive | present | — | flectere | — | — | flectiminī | — |
future | — | flectitor | flectitor | — | — | flectuntor | |
non-finite forms | active | passive | |||||
present | perfect | future | present | perfect | future | ||
infinitives | flectere | flexisse | flexūrum esse | flectī | flexum esse | flexum īrī | |
participles | flectēns | — | flexūrus | — | flexus | flectendus, flectundus | |
verbal nouns | gerund | supine | |||||
genitive | dative | accusative | ablative | accusative | ablative | ||
flectendī | flectendō | flectendum | flectendō | flexum | flexū |
Derived terms
- afflectō
- deflectō
- *flecticō
- flexanimus
- flexibilis
- flexibilitās
- flexilis
- flexiō
- flexuōsē
- flexuōsus
- flexūra
- flexus
- genūflectō
- inflectō
- reflectō
Descendants
- Gallo-Romance:
- Old French: fletir
- Old Occitan: fletir
- Italo-Romance:
- ⇒ Central Italian: affiette (“bend down”) (Macerata)
- Neapolitan: fiette (“compel”) (Abruzzo)
- Ancient borrowings:
- → Old Irish: sléchtaim
- Later borrowings:
- → Catalan: flectir, flectar
- → Italian: flettere
- → Portuguese: flectir
- → Sicilian: frèttiri, flèttiri
References
- de Vaan, Michiel, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, vol. 7, of Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series, Alexander Lubotsky ed., Leiden: Brill, 2008.
- Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “flĕctere”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 3: D–F, page 618
Further reading
- “flecto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “flecto”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- flecto in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2023) Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
- flecto in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- to make a person change his intention: animum alicuius or simply aliquem flectere
- to deviate, change the direction: iter flectere, convertere, avertere
- to make a person change his intention: animum alicuius or simply aliquem flectere