proclitic

noun

pro·​clit·​ic (ˌ)prō-ˈkli-tik 

plural proclitics

: a clitic that is associated with a following word : a word that is treated in pronunciation as forming a part of a following word and that is often unaccented or contracted

A proclitic is a word that is so closely connected to the sound of the word that follows it that you end up mashing up the two words.

—Curtis Honeycutt

Note: The words y'all and 'tis contain easily recognized proclitics: y for you in y'all and t for it in 'tis. Others (such as those involving the truncation of "to" to "t" when occurring before a verb) may be less obvious. Proclitics are often heard in speech but are infrequently transcribed into print.

compare enclitic

proclitic adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin procliticus, from Greek pro- + Late Latin -cliticus (as in encliticus enclitic)

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above