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 reënforcement, of
the stress as to give the feeling of separate impulses. See Guide
to Pronunciation, §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.
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 reënforcement, of
the stress as to give the feeling of separate impulses. See Guide
to Pronunciation, §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.
