hyphen
[ hahy-fuhn ]
/ ˈhaɪ fən /
noun
a short line (-) used to connect the parts of a compound word or the parts of a word divided for any purpose.
verb (used with object)
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Origin of hyphen
1595–1605; <Late Latin <Greek hyphén (adv.) together, derivative of hyph' hén (prepositional phrase), equivalent to hyp(ó) under (see hypo-) + hén, neuter of heîs one
OTHER WORDS FROM hyphen
hy·phen·ic [hahy-fen-ik], /haɪˈfɛn ɪk/, adjectivede·hy·phen, verb (used with object)un·hy·phened, adjectiveWords nearby hyphen
hypethral, hypha, hyphedonia, hyphema, hyphemia, hyphen, hyphenate, hyphenated, hyphen help, hyphenize, hyphidrosis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for hyphen
British Dictionary definitions for hyphen
hyphen
/ (ˈhaɪfən) /
noun
the punctuation mark (-), used to separate the parts of some compound words, to link the words of a phrase, and between syllables of a word split between two consecutive lines of writing or printing
verb
(tr) another word for hyphenate
Word Origin for hyphen
C17: from Late Latin (meaning: the combining of two words), from Greek huphen (adv) together, from hypo- + heis one
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
Cultural definitions for hyphen
hyphen
A punctuation mark (-) used in some compound words, such as self-motivation, seventy-five, and mother-in-law. A hyphen is also used to divide a word at the end of a line of type. Hyphens may appear only between syllables. Thus com-pound is properly hyphenated, but compo-und is not.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.