trisyllable

[trahy-sil-uh-buh l, trahy-sil-, tri-]

noun

a word of three syllables, as pendulum.

Origin of trisyllable

1580–90; tri- + syllable, modeled on Greek trisýllabos having three syllables

Related formstri·syl·lab·ic

[trahy-si-lab-ik, tris-i-] /ˌtraɪ sɪˈlæb ɪk, ˌtrɪs ɪ-/, tri·syl·lab·i·cal, adjectivetri·syl·lab·i·cal·ly, adverbtri·syl·lab·ism, noun

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

Examples from the Web for trisyllable

Historical Examples of trisyllable

A word of three syllables is termed a Trisyllable; as, Mag-net-ism, Mum-mer-y.
The Comic English Grammar
Percival Leigh
Therefore, rehu might be a monosyllable, a dissyllable, or a trisyllable.
Legends, Tales and Poems
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
Unless we are to pronounce this as a trisyllable a word must have dropped out of this line.
The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume VI
Aphra Behn
In the first line I inserted in my Edition all; but it was needless; for 'doctrine' was no doubt pronounced as a trisyllable.
The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays
Thomas Keightley
Three consonants running, as in 'perfunctory', keep the stress where it has to be in a trisyllable, such as 'victory'.
Society for Pure English Tract 4
John Sargeaunt

British Dictionary definitions for trisyllable

trisyllable

noun

a word of three syllables

Derived Formstrisyllabic (ˌtraɪsɪˈlæbɪk), adjectivetrisyllabically, adverb

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