ἄκλιτος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ᾰ̓- (a-, “un-”) +‎ κλῑ́νω (klī́nō, “to decline”) +‎ -τος (-tos, verbal adjective suffix). Diachronically from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-ḱlitós, formed from the root *ḱley- (“to incline, slope”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /á.kli.tos/ → /ˈa.kli.tos/ → /ˈa.kli.tos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /á.kli.tos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈa.kli.tos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.kli.tos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈa.kli.tos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈa.kli.tos/

Adjective

ᾰ̓́κλῐτος • (áklitos) m or f (neuter ᾰ̓́κλῐτον); second declension (Koine)

1. unwavering, stable
   • c. 245 CE – c. 325 CE, Iamblichus Chalcidensis, On the Mysteries 1.15:

     Ἔτι γὰρ μᾶλλον ἀκλίτους καὶ ἀμιγεῖς αἰσθητοῖς εἰπὼν εἶναι τοὺς καθαροὺς νόας ἀπορεῖς (...)

     Éti gàr mâllon aklítous kaì amigeîs aisthētoîs eipṑn eînai toùs katharoùs nóas aporeîs (...)

     You see, having declared that "the pure intellects are unwavering and unmingled with tangible things", you ask still further (...)

   1. (grammar) indeclinable
      • 170 BCE – 90 BCE, Dionysius Thrax, Art of Grammar 19:

        ἐπίρρημά ἐστι μέρος λόγου ἄκλιτον

        epírrhēmá esti méros lógou ákliton

        An adverb is an indeclinable part of speech.

   2. (geometry) (said of a rising perpendicular)

      Synonym: ἀκλινής (aklinḗs)

      • 412 CE – 485 CE, Proclus, A Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements 290F:

        εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ θεωρίαν προσθεῖναι τοῖς δύο τούτοις προβλήμασιν, ἔοικεν ἡ μὲν πρὸς ορθὰς ἀναγομένη μιμεῖσθαι ζωὴν αἰρομένην (...) μένουσαν ἄκλιτον πρὸς τὰ χείρονα

        ei dè deî kaì theōrían prostheînai toîs dúo toútois problḗmasin, éoiken hē mèn pròs orthàs anagoménē mimeîsthai zōḕn airoménēn (...) ménousan ákliton pròs tà kheírona

        If we must theorize further on these two problems, it seems that a [line] rising up from a straight [line] resembles an exalted life (...) remaining stable in the face of baser things

Declension

Second declension of ᾰ̓́κλῐτος; ᾰ̓́κλῐτον (Attic)

Number		Singular			Dual			Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter		Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		ᾰ̓́κλῐτος áklitos	ᾰ̓́κλῐτον ákliton		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τω aklítō	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τω aklítō		ᾰ̓́κλῐτοι áklitoi	ᾰ̓́κλῐτᾰ áklita
Genitive		ᾰ̓κλῐ́του aklítou	ᾰ̓κλῐ́του aklítou		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τοιν aklítoin	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τοιν aklítoin		ᾰ̓κλῐ́των aklítōn	ᾰ̓κλῐ́των aklítōn
Dative		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τῳ aklítōi	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τῳ aklítōi		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τοιν aklítoin	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τοιν aklítoin		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τοις aklítois	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τοις aklítois
Accusative		ᾰ̓́κλῐτον ákliton	ᾰ̓́κλῐτον ákliton		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τω aklítō	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τω aklítō		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τους aklítous	ᾰ̓́κλῐτᾰ áklita
Vocative		ᾰ̓́κλῐτε áklite	ᾰ̓́κλῐτον ákliton		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τω aklítō	ᾰ̓κλῐ́τω aklítō		ᾰ̓́κλῐτοι áklitoi	ᾰ̓́κλῐτᾰ áklita
Derived forms		Adverb			Comparative			Superlative
		ᾰ̓κλῐ́τως aklítōs			ᾰ̓κλῐτώτερος aklitṓteros			ᾰ̓κλῐτώτᾰτος aklitṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: άκλιτος (áklitos)

Further reading

• “ἄκλιτος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• ἄκλιτος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• ἄκλιτος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• “ἄκλιτος”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011