What does "syncope" mean?
The elision or loss of a sound from the interior of a word, especially of a vowel sound with loss of a syllable.
Syncope
/ˈsɪŋ.kə.pi/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The elision or loss of a sound from the interior of a word, especially of a vowel sound with loss of a syllable.
- Grammar: syncope is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abbreviation, abridgment, abstract, andante.
- Useful contrasts: alertness, consciousness, full pronunciation.
- Usage evidence: Polysynthesis is a method of word-building, applicable either to nominals or verbals, which not only employs juxtaposition with aphaeresis, syncope, apocope, etc., but also words, forms of words and significant phonetic elements which have no separate existence apart from such compounds.
How to use "syncope"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "syncope" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "syncope" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "syncope" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "syncope" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The elision or loss of a sound from the interior of a word, especially of a vowel sound with loss of a syllable. countable, uncountable
"[…]; on the contrary, all syllables subject in the same way to elision, apocope, syncope, and slurring must have the same degree of stress (i.e. they must be alike unaccented) whether preceded by short or by long root-syllables."
- 2 (phonology) the loss of sounds from within a word (as in ‘fo'c'sle’ for ‘forecastle’) wordnet
- 3 A loss of consciousness when fainting. countable, uncountable
"Sometimes, without any apparent cause, I sank, little by little, into a condition of semi-syncope, or half swoon; and, in this condition, without pain, without ability to stir, or, strictly speaking, to think, but with a dull lethargic consciousness of life and of the presence of those who surrounded my bed, I remained, until the crisis of the disease restored me, suddenly, to perfect sensation."
- 4 a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain wordnet
- 5 A missed beat or off-beat stress in music resulting in syncopation. countable, uncountable
"She was a volatile creature, full of mischievous surprise: at their first music practice, after playing over some hymns on the pipe-organ, she burst into jazz, filling the quiet grove with the clamorous syncope of Paddy-Paws, a favourite song that summer."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Polysynthesis is a method of word-building, applicable either to nominals or verbals, which not only employs juxtaposition with aphaeresis, syncope, apocope, etc., but also words, forms of words and significant phonetic elements which have no separate existence apart from such compounds."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "syncope"?
Common synonyms include: abbreviation, abridgment, abstract, andante, andante tempo, apocope.
How do you use "syncope" in a sentence?
Polysynthesis is a method of word-building, applicable either to nominals or verbals, which not only employs juxtaposition with aphaeresis, syncope, apocope, etc., but also words, forms of words and significant phonetic elements which have no separate existence apart from such compounds.
How do you pronounce "syncope"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪŋ.kə.pi/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin syncopē, from Ancient Greek συγκοπή (sunkopḗ), from συγκόπτω (sunkóptō, “cut up”) + -η (-ē, nominalization suffix), from σύν (sún, “beside, with”) + κόπτω (kóptō, “strike, cut off”). Partly continues the (near-)doublets syncopis and sincopin, both from the Old French sincopin (“faintness”) (itself from Late Latin accusative syncopen), with the pathological meaning "a loss of consciousness accompanied by a weak pulse", attested from the fifteenth century. Usage in the form syncope, with the phonological meaning "contraction of a word by omission of middle sounds or letters" attested from the 1520s. Syncopis and sincopin were "re-Latinized" to the form syncope in English in the sixteenth century. The musical usage first occurs after the 1660s, following the musical usage of syncopation and syncopate.