n.
Pronunciation: i- ' pen(t)-th ə -s ə s, e-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -the · ses \ - ˌ s ē z \
Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek, from epentithenai to insert a letter, from epi- + entithenai to put in, from en- + tithenai to put ― more at DO
Date: 1543
: the insertion or development of a sound or letter in the body of a word (as \ ə \ in \ ' a-th ə - ˌ l ē t \ athlete )
– ep · en · thet · ic \ ˌ e-p ə n- ' the-tik \ adjective