- an uninterrupted segment of speech consisting of a vowel sound, a diphthong, or a syllabic consonant, with or without preceding or following consonant sounds: “Eye,” “sty,” “act,” and “should” are English words of one syllable. “Eyelet,” “stifle,” “enact,” and “shouldn't” are two-syllable words.
- one or more written letters or characters representing more or less exactly such an element of speech.
- the slightest portion or amount of speech or writing; the least mention: Do not breathe a syllable of all this.
- to utter in syllables; articulate.
- to represent by syllables.
- to utter syllables; speak.
- a combination or set of one or more units of sound in a language that must consist of a sonorous element (a sonant or vowel) and may or may not contain less sonorous elements (consonants or semivowels) flanking it on either or both sides: for example "paper" has two syllables
- (in the writing systems of certain languages, esp ancient ones) a symbol or set of symbols standing for a syllable
- the least mention in speech or print
- simply; bluntly
- to pronounce syllables of (a text); articulate
- to write down in syllables
