syllabify

present singular third person syllabifies · participle present syllabifying · participle past syllabified · past syllabified

1. To divide a word into syllables; to syllabicate; to syllabize.

   A method alſo of teaching the learners “to ſyllabify with the counters” is pointed out.

   1799–1800, P.V. Lenoir, either “French Pronunciation and Reading made Eaſy, or the Logographic-emblematical French Spelling-Book, &c.” (1799, Dulau and Co.) or “The Logographic-emblematical Engliſh Spelling-Book, or a Method of teaching Children to read” (1800, Booſey), quoted in article 35–36 of The British Critic, volume 19 (1802, January–June), page 97

   1 more example

   syllabicate 2    syllabication 1 syllabify 2        syllabification 1 syllabize 1     syllabization 3 One first-class verb, two first-class nouns, but neither of those nouns belonging to that verb. It is absurd enough, & any of several ways out would do; that indeed is why none of them is taken. The best thing would be to accept the most recognized verb syllabize, give it the now non-existent noun syllabization, & relegate all the rest to the Superfluous words; but there is no authority both willing & able to issue such decrees.

   1926, Henry Watson Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1st ed., Oxford at the Clarendon Press), page 590, column 2, “syllabize &c.” syllabize &c. A verb & a noun are clearly sometimes needed for the notion of dividing words into syllables. The possible pairs seem to be the following (the number after each word means — 1, that it is in fairly common use; 2, that it is on record; 3, that it is not given in OED): — syllabate 3 syllabation 2

   Synonyms: syllabicate, syllabize