Bisyllabic

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /baɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/

Origin

bi- ("two") + syllable + -ic (adjectival suffix)

Full definition of bisyllabic

Adjective

1. Comprising two syllables.

Usage notes

Bisyllabic is often considered malformed by prescriptive language users, it being an etymological hybrid of Latin (bi-) and Greek (syllabic) roots; the term disyllabic is generally preferred by such commentators (it features di-, the Grecian equivalent of the Latinate bi-), and also occurs far more frequently in common usage.

The Corpus of Contemporary American English: disyllabic (34) vs. bisyllabic (2): Disyllabic is seventeen times more common than bisyllabic in this corpus.

British National Corpus (BYU–BNC): disyllabic (18) vs. bisyllabic (1): Disyllabic is eighteen times more common than bisyllabic in this corpus.

TIME Magazine Corpus of American English: disyllabic (0), dissyllabic (1) vs. bisyllabic (1): Bisyllabic and dissyllabic (a superseded spelling of disyllabic) occur equally often in this corpus.

Oxford English Dictionary (BYU–OED): disyllabic (7), dissyllabic (6) vs. bisyllabic (1): Disyllabic and dissyllabic, taken together, are thirteen times more common than bisyllabic in the entire text of this dictionary.

However, some linguists use the term bisyllabic.

Synonyms

• disyllabic