Where does “octosyllable” come from?
octosyllable (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-.
octosyllable (English): line of verse with eight syllables
Definitions
- line of verse with eight syllables
Ancestry of “octosyllable”, step by step
| 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 | — |