Standard Lemma guide

syllabicity

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌsɪləˈbɪsɪti/ weak vowel distinction
  • /ˌsɪləˈbɪsəti/ weak vowel merger

1

noun

Meaning 1

The property or status (of a syllabic, generally a vowel) of being syllabic, i.e. able to be positioned in the syllable nuclei.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • The syllabicity of Proto-Indo-European syllabic sonorants *y and *w can easily be determined by a rule.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the pattern of syllable formation in a particular language

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: language system

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English syllabic Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English syllabicity From syllabic + -ity.