Syllabification

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: sÄ­lă'bÄ­fÄ­kāʹshÉ™n, IPA: /sɪˌlæbɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

Origin

First attested in 1764; a regular Anglicisation (see -fication) of a hypothetical etymon of the form *syllabificātiō, *syllabificātiōn-, formed regularly on the base of the Latin syllabificō, itself from syllaba ("syllable").

Full definition of syllabification

Noun

1. the division of a word into syllables.
• 1764 September, Tobias George Smollett ed., The Critical Review: or, Annals of Literature, volume 18, article 23: “Review of William JohnÅ¿ton’s A Pronouncing and Spelling Dictionary, &c.”, page 237Our author has eÅ¿tabliÅ¿hed clear practicable rules for articulation, and conÅ¿equently for facilitating to foreigners the pronouncing and Å¿yllabification of the EngliÅ¿h language; and that upon principles which are in common to all languages.
• 1926, Henry Watson Fowler, (first edition, Oxford at the Clarendon Press), page 590, column 2, “syllabize &c.”syllabize &c. A verb & a noun are clearly sometimes needed for the notion of dividing words into syllables. The possible pairs seem to be the following (the number after each word means — 1, that it is in fairly common use; 2, that it is on record; 3, that it is not given in OED): — 
   syllabate 3    syllabation 2
   syllabicate 2    syllabication 1
   syllabify 2      syllabification 1
   syllabize 1     syllabization 3
  One first-class verb, two first-class nouns, but neither of those nouns belonging to that verb. It is absurd enough, & any of several ways out would do; that indeed is why none of them is taken. The best thing would be to accept the most recognized verb syllabize, give it the now non-existent noun syllabization, & relegate all the rest to the Superfluous words

• 1999, Ingo Plag, Morphological Productivity: Structural Constraints in English Derivation, § 7.1.2, page 203Syllábify is a back-formation from syllabification, which in turn seems to be coined directly on the basis of Latin syllabificare.

Derived terms

• syllabificate, syllabificating both are non-standard and rare; syllabify

Synonyms

• syllabation rare, syllabication