Dissyllabic

/dɪsɪˈlæbɪk/ adjective

Definition

Having two syllables or composed of two syllable units.

Etymology

From Greek dis- (two) + syllabos (syllable, from sun- 'together' + -able 'to throw'). The term emerged in linguistic scholarship to describe words with exactly two syllable divisions.

Kelly Says

The Greek root of 'syllable' literally means 'things thrown together,' because ancient Greeks saw syllables as sound units bundled together—so a 'dissyllabic' word literally has 'two things thrown together'!

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