411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
-plex
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plex
English
L1568663
Etymology
en :bor la:-plex<t:fold> 1 +
Pronunciation
en /-plɛks/
en LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame--plex.wav US
Suffix
Comprising a number of parts, as in en duplex.
en math ten to the power of the number, as in en googolplex.
Derived terms
en
Translations
comprising a number of parts
Irish: ga -pléacs m
Polish: pl -pleks m
See also
en -fold
Latin
L1568664
Etymology
la -plex :der ine-pro:*pel-<id:fold><unc:1>
Disputed.
Possibly from la itc-pro *-pleks, from la ine-pro *pleḱ- to plait, to weave, making it equivalent to la plicō to fold -s.
Possibly from la itc-pro *-plaks, with regular reduction of Proto-Italic itc-pro *-a- to Latin la -e- in a non-initial closed syllable.Kent Roland G. The Sounds of Latin. A Descriptive and Historical Phonology Language 8 3 1932 521970 103
In either case, it may ultimately derive from an extension of ine-pro *pel- to fold. Compare la -plus.
Potential cognates include xum -𐌐𐌋𐌀𐌊, found in xum 𐌕𐌖𐌐𐌋𐌀𐌊, and grc -πλαξ, found in grc δίπλαξ and grc τρίπλαξ.-plex 473δίπλαξ, -κος 338
De Vaan 2008 derives Latin la -plex from la itc-pro *-pleks, from the e-grade of the root ine-pro *pleḱ-, and Greek grc -πλαξ from la ine-pro *-pl̥ḱ-, the zero-grade ablaut variant of the same root. De Vaan considers the meaning and etymology of the Umbrian form to be unclear. (At the same time, De Vaan reconstructs la simplex as coming from itc-pro *sm̥-plak-s.-sem-, sim- 553) Beekes thinks the Latin, Umbrian, and Greek endings can all be derived from the root ine-pro *pleḱ-.
The Umbrian form suggests la itc-pro *-plaks, which complicates the etymology from ine-pro *pleḱ- to plait, to weave (since zero-grade ine-pro *-plḱ-s would be expected to yield Proto-Italic itc-pro *-polk-s; cf. ine-pro *stel- *stl̥-tós > itc-pro *stoltos, ine-pro *wert- *wr̥t-tós > itc-pro *worssos, ine-pro *pr̥sḱéti > itc-pro *porskō *porsket). Flemestad and Olsen 2017 treat all three of la duplex, xum 𐌕𐌖𐌐𐌋𐌀𐌊, and grc δίπλαξ as cognates, and prefer to derive them from the root ine-pro *pel- fold combined with a suffix ine-pro *-ak-.Flemestad Peder Olsen Birgit Anette 2017 Sabellic Textile Terminology Textile Terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD 10.13014/K2319T2K 219
Some argue that Greek grc -πλαξ is not from ine-pro *pleḱ- to plait, to weave, but from an unrelated root found in grc πλάξ surface, which van Beek 2022 identifies as coming from ine-pro *plek‑ to strip, flay.Lucien van Beek 2022 Chapter 10 The Reflexes of *l̥ The Reflexes of Syllabic Liquids in Ancient Greek Leiden, The Netherlands Brill https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004469747_011 9789004469747
Coleman 1992 suggests la duplex and xum 𐌕𐌖𐌐𐌋𐌀𐌊 might be derived from ine-pro *pleh₂- flat, the root of la plānus, which he considers to be an extension of ine-pro *pel-.Coleman Robert 1992 Chapter 12: Italic Mouton de Gruyter Indo-European Numerals Jadranka Gvozdanović 423 https://books.google.com/books?id=HmbWRnaridAC&pg=PA423
Pronunciation
-plex
Suffix
-plex
Creates adjectives specifying the number of times, -fold
ine-pro *sem- one → la simplex onefold, single, simple
la tri- three → la triplex threefold
la quadri- four → la quadruplex fourfold
la centum hundred → la centiplex hundredfold
la multus many → la multiplex manifold
Declension
-plex
Derived terms
la
Descendants
en -plex 1
References