English Explanatory Dictionary

syllable

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A unit of human speech which often forms words corresponding to one opening of the mouth; a vowel and its surrounding consonants.
  2. The written representation of a given pronounced syllable.
  3. A small part of a sentence or discourse; anything concise or short; a particle.
verb
  1. To utter in syllables.

Pronunciation

/ˈsɪl.ə.bəl/ [ˈsɪl.ə.bɫ̩] en-uk-syllable.ogg /ˈsɪl.ə.bᵻl/ /sɪˈle.bᵻl/

Word forms

syllable syllables syllab syllabe syllabling syllabled

Etymology

From Middle English syllable, sillable, syllabylle, sylabul, from Anglo-Norman sillable, from Old French sillebe, from Latin syllaba, from Ancient Greek συλλαβή (sullabḗ), from συλλαμβάνω (sullambánō, “to gather together”), from συν- (sun-, “together”) + λαμβάνω (lambánō, “to take”).

Related words

syllabus

Derived words

ambisyllabic checked syllable closed syllable decasyllable disyllable dodecasyllable duodecasyllable duosyllable enneasyllable foresyllable free syllable hendecasyllable heptasyllable hexasyllable intersyllable in words of one syllable midsyllable monosyllable multisyllable octosyllable oligosyllable open syllable pentasyllable plurisyllable polysyllabic polysyllable protosyllable quadrisyllable quinquesyllable semisyllabic semisyllable septisyllable sesquisyllable syllabary syllabatim syllabic syllabification syllabify syllable-timed syllable timing syllable weight trisyllable words of one syllable
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