unflexed
- adjective
- /ʌnˈflɛkst/
- Specialized
- In some languages, certain words remain unflexed regardless of their grammatical role.
Examples
-
The noun stayed unflexed even when used in the plural form.
-
The verb remains unflexed in the present tense.
-
Linguists noted that the verb was unflexed in this dialect.
-
The teacher explained that some verbs are unflexed.
-
In some languages, certain words remain unflexed regardless of their grammatical role.
-
Linguists noted that the verb was unflexed in this dialect.
-
The teacher explained that some verbs are unflexed in specific contexts.
Synonyms
Not changed in form to show time, amount, or part in a sentence
Having the same form for singular and plural
Not changed from its basic form, like a verb or a chemical
How Inflected
Surface Forms
Morphology
unflexed = flexed (opaque) = un + flex + ed
In this grammatical sense 'flexed' relates to inflectional change (flexion/inflection), which is a specialized meaning not obvious from the everyday sense of 'flex' for most learners.
Etymology
The word unflexed is made of un- meaning 'not' and flex meaning 'to bend', the same root you see in flexible. So in grammar unflexed describes a word that 'does not change' its form for tense, number, or person, as if the word does not 'bend' into new shapes.