epenthesis
|e-pen-the-sis|
/ɪˈpɛnθəsɪs/
insertion into a word
Etymology
'epenthesis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ἐπένθεσις' (epénthesis), where 'ἐπί' (epi-) meant 'on, to, in addition' and the root from 'ἔν' (en) + 'τιθέναι' (tithenai) meant 'to place'.
'epenthesis' entered English via Late Latin/Medieval Latin and New Latin forms (Latin 'epenthesis'), ultimately from the Greek 'ἐπένθεσις'; it reached Modern English with retained technical meaning in linguistics.
Initially it meant 'an insertion or placing in', but over time it became specialized to mean 'the insertion of a sound or segment within a word' in linguistic/phonological contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in phonology, the insertion of an extra sound (a vowel or consonant) into a word, often to break up difficult consonant clusters or to ease pronunciation.
The epenthesis of a vowel made the consonant cluster easier to pronounce.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/20 15:52