Where does “multisyllable” come from?
multisyllable (English) comes from English syllable, from Middle English syllable, from Anglo-Norman sillable, from Old French sillebe, from Latin syllaba, from Ancient Greek συλλαβή, from Ancient Greek συλλαμβάνω, from Ancient Greek σῠν- — beside, with.
multisyllable (English): Synonym of polysyllable
Definitions
- Synonym of polysyllable
Ancestry of “multisyllable”, step by step
multisyllable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English syllable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | syllable | A unit of human speech that is interpreted by the... |
| 2 | Middle English | syllable | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | sillable | syllable |
| 4 | Old French | sillebe | — |
| 5 | Latin | syllaba | syllable; poems, verses |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | συλλαβή | conception, pregnancy; that which holds together,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | συλλαμβάνω | I collect, gather; I rally; I take hold of,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σῠν- | together; with, together |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | σύν | beside, with |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | *ksún | beside, with |
via English multi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | multi | A multituberculate; Neolamprologus multifasciatus |
| 2 | English | multituberculate | Having molars with multiple rows of cusps; Any of... |
| 3 | English | tuberculate | Having tubercles; Tubercular |
| 4 | Latin | tuberculatus | warty, tuberculate |
| 5 | Latin | tūberculum | a small swelling, bump, or protuberance; a boil, pimple, tubercle |
| 6 | Latin | tūber | a hump, bump, swelling, protuberance; excrescence |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | tūβos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |