Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trisyllable” come from?

trisyllable (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-.

trisyllable (English): a word of three syllables

Definitions

  1. a word of three syllables

Ancestry of “trisyllable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsyllableA unit of human speech that is interpreted by the...
2Middle Englishsyllable—
3Anglo-Normansillablesyllable
4Old Frenchsillebe—
5Latinsyllabasyllable; poems, verses
6Ancient Greekσυλλαβήconception, pregnancy; that which holds together,...
7Ancient GreekσυλλαμβάνωI collect, gather; I rally; I take hold of,...
8Ancient Greekσῠν-together; with, together
9Ancient Greekσύνbeside, with
10Proto-Hellenic*ksún—
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *ksún →