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.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈfɫɛk.toː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈflɛk.t̪o]

Verb

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

to bend, curve or bow
to deviate, distract
Synonyms: arceō, prōpulsō, dīvertō, dēclīnō, āvertō, āspernor, dēmoveō, dēflectō, trānsvertō
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.
(figuratively) to persuade, prevail upon, or soften
Synonyms: persuādeō, convincō, trahō, perpellō, admoneō

Conjugation

Conjugation of flectō (third conjugation)

indicative		singular				plural
indicative		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
subjunctive		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
imperative		first	second		third	first	second		third
active	present	—	flecte		—	—	flectite		—
active	future	—	flectitō		flectitō	—	flectitōte		flectuntō
passive	present	—	flectere		—	—	flectiminī		—
passive	future	—	flectitor		flectitor	—	—		flectuntor
non-finite forms		infinitive				participle
non-finite forms		active		passive		active		passive
present		flectere		flectī		flectēns		—
future		flexūrum esse		flexum īrī		flexūrus		flectendus, flectundus
perfect		flexisse		flexum esse		—		flexus
future perfect		—		flexum fore		—		—
perfect potential		flexūrum fuisse		—		—		—
verbal nouns		gerund					supine
		genitive	dative		accusative	ablative	accusative		ablative
		flectendī	flectendō		flectendum	flectendō	flexum		flexū

Derived terms

Descendants

Italo-Romance:
- ⇒ Central Italian: affiette (“bend down”) (Macerata)
- Neapolitan: fiette (“compel”) (Abruzzo)
Gallo-Romance:
- Old French: fletir
- Old Occitan: fletir
⇒ 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, volume 3: D–F, page 618

^ Matasović, Ranko (2017) “Latin presents in -t- and the etymologies of necto ‘to weave, bind’ and flecto ‘to bend, curve’”, in Pallas‎^[1], number 103, Presses Universitaires du Midi, →ISSN, →JSTOR, retrieved 5 June 2023, pages 37–43