Added 9 October 2026
syllable
/ˈsɪl.ə.bəl/ noun
In Latin: syllaba Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about syllable at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A unit of human speech which often forms words corresponding to one opening of the mouth; a vowel and its surrounding consonants.
- The written representation of a given pronounced syllable.
- A small part of a sentence or discourse; anything concise or short; a particle.
verb
- To utter in syllables.
Origin
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”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)