syllabary

American  

[sil-uh-ber-ee] / ˈsɪl əˌbɛr i /

noun

plural

syllabaries

1. a list or catalog of syllables.

2. a set of written symbols, each of which represents a syllable, used to write a given language.

   the Japanese syllabary.

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syllabary British  

/ ˈsɪləbərɪ /

noun

1. a table or list of syllables

2. a set of symbols used in certain writing systems, such as one used for Japanese, in which each symbol represents a spoken syllable

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Etymology

Origin of syllabary

From the New Latin word syllabārium, dating back to 1580–90. See syllable, -ary

Example Sentences

In the early 1800s Cherokee polymath Sequoyah invented the Cherokee syllabary of written characters.

From Scientific American

Hill placed a Cherokee syllabary character above each column to spread awareness of the lyrical language.

From New York Times

Each column has a letterpress piece with a Cherokee syllabary to spread awareness of the written language.

From New York Times

Bouabré became convinced they were the remains of an ancient writing system, and he wanted to use them as the basis for a new alphabet, or syllabary.

From Washington Post

He published the syllabary in 1958, and made use of it in handwritten manuscripts both anthropological and spiritual.

From New York Times