I. sə̇ˈlabik, -bēk adjective
Etymology: Late Latin syllabicus, from Greek syllabikos, from syllabē syllable + -ikos -ic — more at syllable
1. : of, relating to, or denoting syllables
syllabic accent
syllabic characters
2. : constituting a syllable or the nucleus of a syllable:
a. of a consonant : not accompanied in the same syllable by a vowel
n is syllabic in ˈbät ə nē botany, nonsyllabic in ˈbätnē
b. of a vowel : having vowel quality more prominent than that of another vowel in the syllable
the first vowel of a falling diphthong, as ȯ in ȯi, is syllabic
3. : consisting of or using syllabic characters or a syllabary
the Eskimos of the eastern arctic have a system of syllabic writing — Sat. Eve. Post
4. : characterized by distinct enunciation or separation of syllables
syllabic utterance
syllabic tunes
— see syllabic melody
5. : forming or comprising a type of verse distinguished primarily by count of syllables rather than by rhythmical arrangement of accents or quantities — compare quantitative
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a syllabic sign or character
some signs … were used in the sense of an alphabet; some signs were employed as syllabics; others were ideographic — Stanley Wernyss
2. : a syllabic sound or utterance
when two or more syllabics occur … one can clearly hear different degrees of articulatory force — Stanley Newman