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- (which points to an earlier form *θlektō), and *gʷʰleK- (which points to an earlier form *xʷlektō).

Matasović has connected flectō with Proto-Slavic *gleznъ (“ankle”), reconstructing Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰleǵʰ- to account for both.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈflek.toː/, [ˈfɫ̪ɛkt̪oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈflek.to/, [ˈflɛkt̪o]

Verb

flectō (present infinitive flectere, perfect active flexī, supine flexum); third conjugation

1. to bend, curve or bow
2. to deviate, distract

   Synonyms: arceō, prōpulsō, dīvertō, dēclīnō, āvertō, āspernor, dēmoveō, dēflectō, trānsvertō

3. to turn or curl
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 1.155–156:

     [...] genitor caelōque invectus apertō
     flectit equōs currūque volāns dat lōra secundō.

     [...] Father [Neptune], [now] riding under a clear sky, turns [his] team and gives rein to [his] swift-following chariot [as it] flies.

4. (figuratively) to 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
• 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)
• Vulgar Latin:
  • *flecticāre
• Ancient borrowings:
  • → Old Irish: sléchtaim
• Later borrowings:
  • → Catalan: flectir, flectar
  • → Italian: flettere
  • → Portuguese: fletir, 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, volumes 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 (2003-2024), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
• flecto in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], 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