bisyllabic
English edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /baɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/
Adjective edit
bisyllabic (not comparable)
- Comprising two syllables.
Usage notes edit
- Bisyllabic is often considered malformed by prescriptive language users, it being an etymological hybrid of Latin (bi-) and Greek (syllabic) roots; the term disyllabic is generally preferred by such commentators (it features di-, the Grecian equivalent of the Latinate bi-), and also occurs far more frequently in common usage.[1][2][3][4]
- However, some linguists use the term bisyllabic.
Synonyms edit
Translations edit
comprising two syllables — see disyllabic
References edit
- ^ The Corpus of Contemporary American English: disyllabic (34) vs. bisyllabic (2): Disyllabic is seventeen times more common than bisyllabic in this corpus.
- ^ The British National Corpus (BYU–BNC): disyllabic (18) vs. bisyllabic (1): Disyllabic is eighteen times more common than bisyllabic in this corpus.
- ^ The Time Magazine Corpus of American English: disyllabic (0), dissyllabic (1) vs. bisyllabic (1): Bisyllabic and dissyllabic (a superseded spelling of disyllabic) occur equally often in this corpus.
- ^ The Oxford English Dictionary (BYU–OED): disyllabic (7), dissyllabic (6) vs. bisyllabic (1): Disyllabic and dissyllabic, taken together, are thirteen times more common than bisyllabic in the entire text of this dictionary.