*syllable*

n. A word consisting of twelve syllables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. hendecasyllabus, Gr. &unr_; eleven-syllabled; &unr_; eleven + &unr_; syllable: cf. F. hendécasyllabe. ] A metrical line of eleven syllables. J. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. monosyllabus of one syllable, Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. monosyllabe. See Mono-, Syllable. ] A word of one syllable. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Formed into, or consisting of, monosyllables. Cleveland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Multi- + syllable. ] A word of many syllables; a polysyllable. [ R. ] -- Mul`ti*syl*lab"ic a. [1913 Webster]

a. Octosyllabic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A word of eight syllables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Poly- + syllable. ] A word of many syllables, or consisting of more syllables than three; -- words of less than four syllables being called monosyllables, dissyllables, and trisyllables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Quadri- + syllable: cf. F. quadrisyllabe. ] A word consisting of four syllables. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Quinque- + syllable. ] A word of five syllables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Septi- + syllable. ] A word of seven syllables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sex- + syllable. ] A word of six syllables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. sillable, OF. sillabe, F. syllabe, L. syllaba, Gr. &unr_; that which is held together, several letters taken together so as to form one sound, a syllable, fr. &unr_; to take together; &unr_; with + &unr_; to take; cf. Skr. labh, rabh. Cf. Lemma, Dilemma. ] 1. An elementary sound, or a combination of elementary sounds, uttered together, or with a single effort or impulse of the voice, and constituting a word or a part of a word. In other terms, it is a vowel or a diphtong, either by itself or flanked by one or more consonants, the whole produced by a single impulse or utterance. One of the liquids, l, m, n, may fill the place of a vowel in a syllable. Adjoining syllables in a word or phrase need not to be marked off by a pause, but only by such an abatement and renewal, or reenforcement, of the stress as to give the feeling of separate impulses. See Guide to Pronunciation, §275. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In writing and printing, a part of a word, separated from the rest, and capable of being pronounced by a single impulse of the voice. It may or may not correspond to a syllable in the spoken language. [ 1913 Webster ]

Withouten vice [ i. e. mistake ] of syllable or letter. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A small part of a sentence or discourse; anything concise or short; a particle. [ 1913 Webster ]

Before any syllable of the law of God was written. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who dare speak
One syllable against him? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To pronounce the syllables of; to utter; to articulate. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Tetra- + syllable: cf. Gr. &unr_; of four syllables. ] A word consisting of four syllables; a quadrisyllable. [ 1913 Webster ]