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definitions

nonsense syllable

noun Psychology.

any of numerous letter combinations without meaning, used in learning experiments.

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Nearby words

  1. nonselective,
  2. nonself,
  3. nonself-antigen,
  4. nonsense,
  5. nonsense correlation,
  6. nonsense triplet,
  7. nonsense verse,
  8. nonsensical,
  9. nonsexist,
  10. nonsexual

Origin of nonsense syllable

First recorded in 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for nonsense syllable

nonsense syllable

noun

psychol a syllable, like bik, having no meaning. Lists of such syllables have been used to investigate memory and learning
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