implico

Implico is a Latin verb of the first conjugation, meaning to entangle, involve, or implicate. In classical use it covers both literal senses (to entwine or sew together) and figurative senses (to involve someone in a matter or situation). The word appears with the active forms typical of the -āre verbs: the present indicative is implicō (“I entangle, I involve”), the infinitive is implicāre, and the present participle is implicāns. The perfect system yields forms such as implicāvī (perfect active) and implicātus (perfect passive participle). The passive is formed with the appropriate endings: implicor, implicāris, implicātur, implicāmur, implicāminī, implicantur.

Etymology and derivation: implico is built from in- (into, on) and the root plic- or plicō/plicāre, meaning to fold, twist, or braid. The combination conveys the sense of folding someone or something into a situation, i.e., entangling or involving.

Usage notes: Implico is transitive and can denote physical entanglement as well as figurative involvement. In literary or historical Latin, it often conveys being drawn into a matter or complication. In later Latin and in some contexts, it can carry a sense related to implicating someone in an action or responsibility, though the modern English nuance of “to implicate” is not always a direct one-to-one correspondence.

Modern Romance languages: In Italian, implico is the first-person singular present indicative of implicare, meaning “I involve.” The word’s Latin lineage remains evident in related forms across Romance languages, where the root plic- continues to appear in words related to folding, bending, or entangling.