syllable

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Related terms 1.3.2 Translations

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Middle English and Middle French sillabe < Latin syllaba < Ancient Greek συλλαβή (sullabē) < συλλαμβάνω (sullambanō), “‘I gather together’”) < συν- (sun-), “‘together’”) + λαμβάνω (lambanō), “‘I take’”).

[edit] Pronunciation

• (RP, US) IPA: /ˈsɪləbɫ/
•  Audio (UK)^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

syllable (plural syllables)

1. (linguistics) A unit of human speech that is interpreted by the listener as a single sound, although syllables usually consist of one or more vowel sounds, either alone or combined with the sound of one or more consonants; a word consists of one or more syllables.
2. The written representation of a given pronounced syllable.

[edit] Related terms

• syllabary
• syllabic
• syllabification
• syllabify
• monosyllable
• polysyllable

[edit] Translations