Etymograph

English

implicit

Implicit comes from Latin implico ‘to infold, involve, entangle’, from plicō ‘to fold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleḱ- ‘to plait, to weave’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleḱ-1‘to plait, to weave’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplicō2‘to fold’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplico3‘to infold, involve, entangle’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicitus3past participle of implico
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600implicite3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1725implicit3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin plico
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin implico
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English implicit
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1725, Homer, Book IX: “In his deep fleece […] I cling implicit.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleḱ-Wiktionary, Latin plico‘to plait, to weave’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplicōWiktionary, Latin implico‘to fold’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicoWiktionary, English implicit‘to infold, involve, entangle’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimplicitusWiktionary, English implicitpast participle of implico
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600impliciteWiktionary, English implicit
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1725implicitWiktionary, English implicit. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1725, Homer, Book IX: “In his deep fleece […] I cling implicit.”

Linked words

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

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

through Latin plicō ‘to fold’

apply, display, reply, exploitation, deploy, exploit, imply, replica, explicit, ploy, ply, complication, inexplicable, supple, complicate, accomplice, pliable, complicity, supplication, triplicate, splay, pliant, explication, 22 more

through Latin implico ‘to infold, involve, entangle’

employment, employ, 2 more

Today it means

adj Suggested indirectly, without being directly expressed; Implied.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “implicit”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin plico, Latin implico. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

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

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