[hy.phen] n [LL & Gk; LL, fr. Gk, fr. hyph' hen under one, fr. hypo under + hen, neut. of heis one--more at up, same] (ca. 1620): a punctuation mark - used esp. to divide or to compound words, word elements, or numbers -- hy.phen.less adj
[2]hyphen vt (1814): hyphenate