adj.
Pronunciation: s ə - ' la-bik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Late Latin syllabicus, from Greek syllabikos, from syllab ē syllable
Date: 1728
1 : constituting a syllable or the nucleus of a syllable: a : not accompanied in the same syllable by a vowel <a syllabic consonant> b : having vowel quality more prominent than that of another vowel in the syllable <the first vowel of a falling diphthong, as \ o ̇ \ in \ o ̇ i \ , is syllabic >
2 : of, relating to, or denoting syllables < syllabic accent>
3 : characterized by distinct enunciation or separation of syllables
4 : of, relating to, or constituting a type of verse distinguished primarily by count of syllables rather than by rhythmical arrangement of accents or quantities
– syl · lab · i · cal · ly \ -bi-k( ə -)l ē \ adverb