uninflected
Meaning
(of a word) not changing its form according to grammatical function, such as tense or number.
not showing changes in pitch or tone.
Structure
Usage
in english, the word "sheep" is uninflected for the plural.
some languages, like mandarin, have largely uninflected nouns.
he spoke in a calm, uninflected monotone throughout the presentation.
Etymology
The word 'uninflected' is built upon the Latin verb 'flectere,' meaning 'to bend.' In linguistics, grammatical inflection is metaphorically the 'bending' of a word's form to express different grammatical categories like tense, case, or number. The prefix 'in-' intensifies this sense of bending inward or alteration. By adding the negative prefix 'un-,' the compound directly signifies 'not bent' or 'not changed,' leading to its modern meanings describing words that do not change form or a voice that does not vary in pitch.
Analysis
un- (old english, prefix meaning 'not'); in- (latin, intensive prefix meaning 'in, into'); flect (latin root 'flectere', meaning 'to bend'); -ed (old english, suffix forming adjectives).