ˌsinəˈzēsə̇s noun
( -es )
Etymology: in sense 1, from Late Latin, from Greek synizēsis, literally, collapse, from synizein to collapse (from syn- + hizein to sit, sit down) + -sis; akin to Greek hezesthai to sit; in sense 2, New Latin, from Greek synizēsis — more at sit
1. : contraction of two syllables into one by uniting in pronunciation two adjacent vowels (as when the ee of eleemosynary is pronounced as one syllable) or by making a high vowel before another vowel consonantal (as in ˈrōmyō for ˈrōmēˌō Romeo ) : synecphonesis — compare syneresis 1a
2. or syn·eze·sis “
a. : the massing of the chromatin of the nucleus preceding the maturation division
b. : synapsis — not used technically