Implicit
/ɪmˈplɪs.ɪt/noun
Implied or understood without being directly stated.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, *implicitus*, is the past participle of *implicare*, meaning “to entwine, enfold, or involve,” which is also the root behind *complicate* and *complicit*—so the word carries an ancient sense of being wrapped up with something else.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
implicitus
“folded in, involved, entangled”
Latin
Latin
implicare
“to entwine, enfold, involve”
Old French
Old French
implicite
“implied, involved, not expressly stated”
14th Century
English
implicit
“involved in the nature of something; understood but not directly expressed”
Modern English
English
implicit
“implied or understood without being directly stated”
Explore more surprising origins