syllable
pronunciation
How to pronounce syllable in British English:
UK [ˈsɪləbl]
How to pronounce syllable in American English:
US [ˈsɪləbl]
-
- Noun:
- a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
Word Origin
- syllable
- syllable: [14] A syllable is etymologically a ‘gathering together’ of letters. The word comes from Anglo-Norman sillable, an alteration of Old French sillabe, which went back via Latin syllaba to Greek sullabé ‘gathering, gathering together of letters, syllable’. This was a derivative of sullambánein ‘gather together’, hence ‘spell together’, a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and lambánein ‘take, grasp’.
- syllable (n.)
- late 14c., from Anglo-French sillable, alteration of Old French silabe "syllable" (12c., Modern French syllabe), from Latin syllaba, from Greek syllabe "that which is held together; a syllable, several sounds or letters taken together," i.e. "a taking together" of letters; from syllambanein "take or put together, collect, gather," from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + stem of lambanein "to take" (see analemma). The unetymological -le apparently is by analogy with participle and principle.
Example
- 1. The rule is that each syllable is worth 5 .
- 2. A syllable is a part of a word that you pronounce without interruption .
- 3. In some regions , sometimes two or more vowels together prompt the creation of an extra syllable .
- 4. Used for a very ancient form of greek , linear b consisted of about 87 signs , each representing one syllable .
- 5. Kimchi is now being dubbed keum-chi , the first syllable being korean for gold .