syllabify
English edit
Etymology edit
First attested in 1799–1802; back-formation from syllabification; compare the Old French sillabifier.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
syllabify (third-person singular simple present syllabifies, present participle syllabifying, simple past and past participle syllabified)
- To divide a word into syllables; to syllabicate; to syllabize.
- 1799–1800, P.V. Lenoir, either “French Pronunciation and Reading made Eaſy, or the Logographic-emblematical French Spelling-Book, &c.” (1799, Dulau and Co.) or “The Logographic-emblematical Engliſh Spelling-Book, or a Method of teaching Children to read” (1800, Booſey), quoted in article 35–36 of The British Critic, volume 19 (1802, January–June), page 97
- A method alſo of teaching the learners “to ſyllabify with the counters” is pointed out.
- 1926, Henry Watson Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1st ed., Oxford at the Clarendon Press), page 590, column 2, “syllabize &c.”
- syllabize &c. A verb & a noun are clearly sometimes needed for the notion of dividing words into syllables. The possible pairs seem to be the following (the number after each word means — 1, that it is in fairly common use; 2, that it is on record; 3, that it is not given in OED): —
syllabate 3 syllabation 2
syllabicate 2 syllabication 1
syllabify 2 syllabification 1
syllabize 1 syllabization 3
One first-class verb, two first-class nouns, but neither of those nouns belonging to that verb. It is absurd enough, & any of several ways out would do; that indeed is why none of them is taken. The best thing would be to accept the most recognized verb syllabize, give it the now non-existent noun syllabization, & relegate all the rest to the Superfluous words; but there is no authority both willing & able to issue such decrees.
- syllabize &c. A verb & a noun are clearly sometimes needed for the notion of dividing words into syllables. The possible pairs seem to be the following (the number after each word means — 1, that it is in fairly common use; 2, that it is on record; 3, that it is not given in OED): —
- 1799–1800, P.V. Lenoir, either “French Pronunciation and Reading made Eaſy, or the Logographic-emblematical French Spelling-Book, &c.” (1799, Dulau and Co.) or “The Logographic-emblematical Engliſh Spelling-Book, or a Method of teaching Children to read” (1800, Booſey), quoted in article 35–36 of The British Critic, volume 19 (1802, January–June), page 97
Synonyms edit
Translations edit
to parse into syllables
References edit
- “Syllabify” listed, as a subentry of “Syllabification”, on page 357 of volume IX, part II (Su–Th) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1919]
Syllabify, v. rare — °. [Back-formation f. prec. but cf. OF. sillabifier (15th c.).] trans. ‘To form or divide into syllables’ (Webster, 1864). - “syˈllabify, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]