This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
aphesis
[ af-uh-sis ]
/ ˈæf ə sɪs /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun Historical Linguistics.
the disappearance or loss of an unstressed initial vowel or syllable, as in the formation of the word slant from aslant.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Words nearby aphesis
aphelion, apheliotropic, apheliotropism, aphemia, apheresis, aphesis, aphetic, aphid, aphid lion, aphis, aphonia
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use aphesis in a sentence
This English tendency to aphesis is satirised in a French song of the 14th century, intentionally written in bad French.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)|Ernest WeekleyAphesis is the loss of the unaccented first syllable, as in 'baccy and 'later.
The Romance of Names|Ernest WeekleyBut confusion with the article is not necessary in order to bring about aphesis.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)|Ernest Weekley
British Dictionary definitions for aphesis
aphesis
/ (ˈæfɪsɪs) /
noun
the gradual disappearance of an unstressed vowel at the beginning of a word, as in squire from esquire
Derived forms of aphesis
aphetic (əˈfɛtɪk), adjectiveaphetically, adverbWord Origin for aphesis
C19: from Greek, from aphienai to set free, send away
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012