syncope

[ sing-kuh-pee, sin- ]

See synonyms for syncope on Thesaurus.com

noun

Grammar. the contraction of a word by omitting one or more sounds from the middle, as in the reduction of never to ne'er.
Pathology. brief loss of consciousness associated with transient cerebral anemia, as in heart block, sudden lowering of the blood pressure, etc.; fainting.

Origin of syncope

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin syncopē, from Greek synkopḗ “a cutting short,” from syn- syn- + kopḗ “a cutting” (from kóptein “to cut”)

Other words from syncope

syn·cop·ic [sin-kop-ik], /sɪnˈkɒp ɪk/, syn·co·pal, adjective

Words Nearby syncope

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use syncope in a sentence

Here Joe's voice failed, and, falling into a syncope, Glenn and Sneak lifted him up and carried him into the house.
Wild Western Scenes | John Beauchamp Jones
What has been said about syncope applies also to the relative spheres of elision and hiatus.
Selections from Early Middle English 1130-1250: Part II: Notes | Various
Had he been in bed, I think there is reason to believe this fatal syncope, if such it was, would not have happened.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses | William Withering
If the girl had fainted it was a pity, but what influence had he over her syncope?
Fern Vale (Volume 3) | Colin Munro
The young man sunk back in a species of syncope, produced by the agony of his mind as he made the fatal communication.
The Fair Maid of Perth | Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for syncope

syncope

/ (ˈsɪŋkəpɪ) /

noun

pathol a technical word for a faint
the omission of one or more sounds or letters from the middle of a word

Origin of syncope

C16: from Late Latin syncopa, from Greek sunkopē a cutting off, from syn- + koptein to cut

Derived forms of syncope

syncopic (sɪŋˈkɒpɪk) or syncopal, adjective

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

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