I. sə-ˈla-bik adjective
Etymology: Late Latin syllabicus, from Greek syllabikos, from syllabē 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 ȯ in ȯi, 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-)lē adverb
II. noun
Date: 1880
: a syllabic character or sound