epenthetic
|e-pen-thet-ic|
🇺🇸
/ˌɛpənˈθɛtɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌepənˈθetɪk/
insertion of sound
Etymology
'epenthetic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'epenthesis' (Greek ἐπένθεσις), where the prefix 'epi-' meant 'upon/in addition' and the root (from tithenai) meant 'to put/place.'
'epenthesis' entered English via Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'epenthesis' and the adjective was formed in English/linguistic usage as 'epenthetic' by adding the adjectival suffix '-ic.'
Initially, the root referred generally to 'insertion' (of something into something else); over time it came to be used specifically in linguistics to mean the insertion of sounds into words, and 'epenthetic' now means 'relating to that insertion of sounds.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or denoting the insertion of one or more sounds (usually a vowel or consonant) into a word, especially to break up difficult consonant clusters.
An epenthetic vowel was inserted to break up the consonant cluster.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/20 13:53