/sin'l ee"feuh/ , n.
the blending of two successive vowels into one, esp. the coalescence of a vowel at the end of one word with a vowel at the beginning of the next.
Also, synalepha, synalephe /sin'l ee"fee/ .
[ 1530-40; synaloiphé, synaliphé, equiv. to syn- SYN- + aloiph-, aliph- (var. stems of aleíphein to smear) + -e fem. n. suffix ]