Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “syncope” come from?

Syncope comes from Latin syncope, from Ancient Greek συγκοπή, derived from Ancient Greek σύν combined with Proto-Indo-European som-, itself from Proto-Indo-European sem-.

syncope (English): The loss or elision of a sound from the interior...

Definitions

  1. The loss or elision of a sound from the interior...

Ancestry of “syncope”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinsyncope—
2Ancient Greekσυγκοπήa cutting up, cutting into small pieces;...
3Ancient Greekσυγκόπτωcut up
4Ancient Greekκόπτωstrike; cut; shake
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kep-to grave, to strike; to chop, to dig; to grave,...

Words derived from “syncope”

  • syncopal
  • presyncope
  • syncopic
  • nonsyncopal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kep- →