'syllable' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'syllaba,' which was derived from Greek 'syllabē,' where 'syn-' meant 'together' and 'lambanein' meant 'to take.'

'syllaba' transformed into the Old French word 'sillabe,' and eventually became the modern English word 'syllable' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'a group of sounds taken together,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.