Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Syllable?

\Syl"la*ble\, n. [OE. sillable, OF. sillabe, F. syllabe, L. syllaba, Gr. ? that which is held together, several letters taken together so as to form one sound, a syllable, fr. ? to take together; ? with + ? to take; cf. Skr. labh, rabh. Cf. {Lemma}, {Dilemma}.] 1. An elementary sound, or a combination of elementary sounds, uttered together, or with a single effort or impulse of the voice, and constituting a word or a part of a word. In other terms, it is a vowel or a diphtong, either by itself or flanked by one or more consonants, the whole produced by a single impulse or utterance. One of the liquids, l, m, n, may fill the place of a vowel in a syllable. Adjoining syllables in a word or phrase need not to be marked off by a pause, but only by such an abatement and renewal, or re["e]nforcement, of the stress as to give the feeling of separate impulses. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect]275. 2. In writing and printing, a part of a word, separated from the rest, and capable of being pronounced by a single impulse of the voice. It may or may not correspond to a syllable in the spoken language. Withouten vice [i. e. mistake] of syllable or letter. --Chaucer. 3. A small part of a sentence or discourse; anything concise or short; a particle. Before any syllable of the law of God was written. --Hooker. Who dare speak One syllable against him? --Shak.
\Syl"la*ble\, v. t. To pronounce the syllables of; to utter; to articulate. --Milton.