Meanings
nountmesis (countable and uncountable, plural tmeses)
plural tmeses
- countablerhetoricuncountablehuman sciencesThe insertion of one or more words between the components of a compound word.
Synonyms: diacope
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe insertion of one or more words between the components of a compound word.
Similar
Also see
Origin
- Ancient Greekτμῆσις“a cutting”
- Late Latintmēsis
- Englishtmesis
From Late Latin tmēsis, from Ancient Greek τμῆσις (tmêsis, “a cutting”), from τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”). First attested in 1586.
More words from Late Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian тмезис
- тмезис (tmezis)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Catalan tmesi
- tmesiinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Chinese Mandarin 分字法, 插詞法 /插词法
- 分字法 (fēnzìfǎ)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
- 插詞法 /插词法 (chācífǎ)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Dutch tmesis
- tmesisinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Esperanto tmezo
- tmezoinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Finnish tmeesi
- tmeesiinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
French tmèse
- tmèseinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
German Tmesis
- Tmesisinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Greek τμήση
- τμήση (tmísi)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Irish timéis
- timéisinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Italian tmesi
- tmesiinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Japanese 切離
- 切離 (kirihana)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Latin tmēsis, diacopē
- tmēsisinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
- diacopēinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Polish tmeza
- tmezainsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Portuguese tmese
- tmeseinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Russian тме́зис, тме́сис
- тме́зис (tmézis)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
- тме́сис (tmésis)insertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Spanish tmesis
- tmesisinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Swedish tmesis
- tmesisinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Tagalog salingit
- salingitinsertion of one or more words between the components of a word
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tmesis
thesiskinesiscytokinesismimesisdiuresisarthrodesisnatriuresisdiaphoresisanuresisascesisathetesisautonoesisbiokinesiscryokinesis-desisdiegesisepithesisparasympathomimesispedesispleurodesisschesissympathomimesissyndesissynizesis
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
tmesis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tmesis
MLA
“tmesis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tmesis. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tmesis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tmesis.
Source: tmesis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.