polysynthetic
[ pol-ee-sin-thet-ik ]
/ ˌpɒl i sɪnˈθɛt ɪk /
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adjective
(of a language) characterized by a prevalence of relatively long words containing a large number of affixes to express syntactic relationships and meanings. Many American Indian languages are polysynthetic.Compare analytic (def. 3), synthetic (def. 3).
of or relating to polysynthesism.
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Sometimes pol·y·syn·thet·i·cal .
Words nearby polysynthetic
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for polysynthetic
polysynthetic
/ (ˌpɒlɪsɪnˈθɛtɪk) /
adjective
denoting languages, such as Inuktitut, in which single words may express the meaning of whole phrases or clauses by virtue of multiple affixesCompare synthetic (def. 3), analytic (def. 3), agglutinative (def. 2)
Derived forms of polysynthetic
polysynthesis (ˌpɒlɪˈsɪnθɪsɪs), nounpolysynthesism, nounpolysynthetically, adverbCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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