In linguistics, the omission or loss of a sound or syllable from a word; in surgery, the removal of a diseased part.
From Greek exairesis, from exairein (to take out), composed of ex- (out) and hairein (to take). The term was borrowed into English medical and linguistic terminology.
When you say 'camera' as 'cam'ra' or drop syllables in casual speech, you're creating exeresis—it's a natural linguistic process that shows how spoken language constantly reshapes written forms.
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