Etymograph

English

implicate

Implicate comes from Latin implicātus ‘entangled, entwined, having been entangled’, from plicō ‘to fold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- ‘to plait, to weave’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleḱ-‘to plait, to weave’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplicō‘to fold’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicō‘to entangle, involve’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicātus‘entangled, entwined, having been entangled’perfect passive participle of implicō
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500implicat‘wrapped, entwined’
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500implicaten
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1837implicate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleḱ-‘to plait, to weave’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplicō‘to fold’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicō‘to entangle, involve’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicātus‘entangled, entwined, having been entangled’perfect passive participle of implicō
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500implicat‘wrapped, entwined’
  6. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500implicaten
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1837implicate

Earliest quotation: 1837, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, The Assignation: “But it is of no use talking now; the…”

first attested First attested in the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicaten (poorly attested), from implicat(e) (“wrapped, entwined; involved, connected (with)”, possibly also used as the past participle of implicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin implicātus, perfect passive participle of implicō (“to entangle, involve”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from plicō (“to fold”) (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested in the 15th century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicaten (poorly attested), from implicat(e) (“wrapped, entwined; involved, connected (with)”, possibly also used as the past participle of implicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin implicātus, perfect passive participle of implicō (‘to entangle, involve’) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from plicō (‘to fold’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- ‘to plait, to weave’

complex, exploitation, fiasco, flax, flack, replication, plexus, flagon, 34 more

through Latin plicō ‘to fold’

apply, display, reply, exploit, deploy, explicit, imply, ploy, replica, ply, supple, accomplice, inexplicable, complication, complicity, pliable, complicate, splay, supplication, pliant, triplicate, explication, 23 more

through Latin implicō ‘to entangle, involve’

employment, employ, 2 more

Another origin of implicate

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500implicat(e)‘wrapped, entwined’
  2. Englishtodayimplicate

First attested in the first part of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English implicat(e) (‘wrapped, entwined; incolved, connected (with)’), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix), -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Today it means

verb To show to be connected or involved in an unfavorable or criminal way.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- / implicate

Shirt and support for this word