syncopate

[sing-kuh-peyt, sin-]

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verb (used with object), syn·co·pat·ed, syn·co·pat·ing.

Music.

to place (the accents) on beats that are normally unaccented.
to treat (a passage, piece, etc.) in this way.

Grammar. to contract (a word) by omitting one or more sounds from the middle, as in reducing Gloucester to Gloster.

Origin of syncopate

First recorded in 1595–1605, syncopate is from the Medieval Latin word syncopātus (past participle of syncopāre to shorten by syncope). See syncope, -ate¹

Related formssyn·co·pa·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for syncopate

abbreviate, shorten, restrict, wrap, cram, constrict, squeeze, shrink, decline, consume, reduce, decrease, narrow, weaken, consolidate, wedge, cramp, crowd, abridge, abstract

Examples from the Web for syncopate

Historical Examples of syncopate

Syncopate and transpose the envelope, and give the inner part.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, Nov 1877-Nov 1878
Various
Syncopate and curtail a carpenter's tool, and leave an insect.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878
Various
Syncopate and curtail a motive power, and leave a body of water.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878
Various
Syncopate and curtail a royal ornament, and leave a domestic animal.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878
Various
Syncopate and curtail a greenish mineral, and leave a Turkish officer.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878
Various

British Dictionary definitions for syncopate

syncopate

verb (tr)

music to modify or treat (a beat, rhythm, note, etc) by syncopation

to shorten (a word) by omitting sounds or letters from the middle

Derived Formssyncopator, noun

Word Origin for syncopate

C17: from Medieval Latin syncopāre to omit a letter or syllable, from Late Latin syncopa syncope

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

Word Origin and History for syncopate

c.1600, from Late Latin syncopatus, past participle of syncopare "to shorten," also "to faint away, to swoon," from Late Latin syncope (see syncope). Originally "to shorten words by omitting syllables or letters in the middle;" musical sense is from 1660s. Related: Syncopated; syncopating.