Webster's English Dictionary

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syllable

1. syl.la.ble \'sil-*-b*l\ n [ME, fr. MF sillabe, fr. L syllaba, fr. Gk 
   syllabe-, fr. (Xsyllambanein to gather together, fr. syn- + lambanein to 
   take - more at LATCH 1: a unit of spoken language that is next bigger than 
   a speech sound and co nsists of one or more vowel sounds alone or of a 
   syllabic consonant alone or of either with one or more consonant sounds 
   preceding or following 2: one or more letters (as syl, la, and ble) in a 
   word (a s sylolaoble) usu. set off from the rest of the word by a centered 
   dot or a hyphen and roughly corresponding to the syllables of spoken 
   language and treated as helps to pronunciation or as guides to hyphenation 
   at the end of a line 3: the smallest conceivable expression or unit of 
   something  4: SOL-FA SYLLABLES 
2. syllable \-b(*-)lin\ vt or syl.la.bling 1: to give a number or 
   arrangement of syllables to (a word or verse)  2: to express or utter in or 
   as if in syllables