"polysyllable" meaning in All languages combined

See polysyllable on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav [US] Forms: polysyllables [plural]
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor. English poly- English syllable English polysyllable From poly- + syllable. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|poly-|syllable|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor. English poly- English syllable English polysyllable [Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from", "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "terms" : [ { "children" : [ { "keyword_abbrev" : "der.", "keyword_label" : "Derived from", "terms" : [ { "id" : "fill", "children" : [ ], "status" : "ok", "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*pleh₁-", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword" : "derived" } ], "lang_name" : "Proto-Indo-European", "term" : "*polh₁ús", "status" : "inline", "lang" : "ine-pro" } ], "keyword_label" : "Inherited from", "keyword" : "inherited" } ], "lang_name" : "Ancient Greek", "term" : "πολῠ́ς", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "grc" } ], "keyword" : "lbor" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "poly-", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }, { "children" : [ ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "syllable", "status" : "missing", "lang" : "en" } ], "keyword_label" : "From", "is_group" : true, "keyword" : "affix" } ], "lang_name" : "English", "term" : "polysyllable", "status" : "ok", "lang" : "en" }" data-lang="en" data-title="polysyllable"> From poly- + syllable. Head templates: {{en-noun}} polysyllable (plural polysyllables)
  1. A word with more than two syllables. Sometimes used in a more restricted sense. Related terms: polysyllabic, polysyllabicism, polysyllabicity, polysyllabism, monosyllable, multisyllable Translations (a word with more than two syllables): polisílaba [feminine] (Galician), πολυσύλλαβη λέξη (polysýllavi léxi) [feminine] (Greek), polisillabo [masculine] (Italian), yl-heeley (Manx), çok heceli (Turkish)

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "*pleh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pleh₁-#Proto-Indo-European:_fill"
    ],
    [
      "*polh₁ús",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/polh₁ús"
    ],
    [
      "πολῠ́ς",
      "πολύς#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "poly-",
      "poly-#English"
    ],
    [
      "syllable",
      "syllable#English"
    ],
    [
      "poly-",
      "poly-#English"
    ],
    [
      "syllable",
      "syllable#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "poly-",
        "4": "syllable",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der.\nProto-Indo-European *polh₁ús\nAncient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor.\nEnglish poly-\nEnglish syllable\nEnglish polysyllable\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"fill\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*pleh₁-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*polh₁ús\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πολῠ́ς\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"poly-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"syllable\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"polysyllable\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"polysyllable\">\nFrom poly- + syllable.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der.\nProto-Indo-European *polh₁ús\nAncient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor.\nEnglish poly-\nEnglish syllable\nEnglish polysyllable\nFrom poly- + syllable.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "polysyllables",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "polysyllable (plural polysyllables)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries referencing missing etymons",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology texts",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with poly-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Galician translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Manx translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              81,
              93
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1982, Donald Hall, To Read Poetry, page 83:",
          "text": "For instance, words can differ in length, and we can rhyme a monosyllable with a polysyllable, like tracks with haversacks.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              27
            ],
            [
              44,
              46
            ],
            [
              67,
              79
            ],
            [
              114,
              116
            ],
            [
              125,
              148
            ],
            [
              133,
              135
            ],
            [
              146,
              148
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1992, Samuel Elmo Martin, Reference Grammar of Korean:",
          "text": "In the Phyengan dialect, wuy developed into wi but at the end of a polysyllable it often dropped the -y to become wu (ibid): Tang-nakwu = Tang-nakwi 'donkey'",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              70,
              82
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1998, Albert Joseph, Put It In Writing, page 81:",
          "text": "The third syllable of provided is ed, and therefore the verb is not a polysyllable.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A word with more than two syllables. Sometimes used in a more restricted sense."
      ],
      "id": "en-polysyllable-en-noun-6f-EgyjH",
      "links": [
        [
          "word",
          "word"
        ],
        [
          "syllable",
          "syllable"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "polysyllabic"
        },
        {
          "word": "polysyllabicism"
        },
        {
          "word": "polysyllabicity"
        },
        {
          "word": "polysyllabism"
        },
        {
          "word": "monosyllable"
        },
        {
          "word": "multisyllable"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "lang_code": "gl",
          "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "polisílaba"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "lang_code": "el",
          "roman": "polysýllavi léxi",
          "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "πολυσύλλαβη λέξη"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "polisillabo"
        },
        {
          "code": "gv",
          "lang": "Manx",
          "lang_code": "gv",
          "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
          "word": "yl-heeley"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "lang_code": "tr",
          "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
          "word": "çok heceli"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4e/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4e/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "polysyllable"
}
{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "*pleh₁-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pleh₁-#Proto-Indo-European:_fill"
    ],
    [
      "*polh₁ús",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/polh₁ús"
    ],
    [
      "πολῠ́ς",
      "πολύς#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "poly-",
      "poly-#English"
    ],
    [
      "syllable",
      "syllable#English"
    ],
    [
      "poly-",
      "poly-#English"
    ],
    [
      "syllable",
      "syllable#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "poly-",
        "4": "syllable",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der.\nProto-Indo-European *polh₁ús\nAncient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor.\nEnglish poly-\nEnglish syllable\nEnglish polysyllable\n[Appendix:Glossary#learned_borrowing|Learned borrowing]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"fill\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*pleh₁-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*polh₁ús\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"πολῠ́ς\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"poly-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"syllable\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"polysyllable\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"polysyllable\">\nFrom poly- + syllable.",
      "name": "ety"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der.\nProto-Indo-European *polh₁ús\nAncient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor.\nEnglish poly-\nEnglish syllable\nEnglish polysyllable\nFrom poly- + syllable.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "polysyllables",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "polysyllable (plural polysyllables)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "polysyllabic"
    },
    {
      "word": "polysyllabicism"
    },
    {
      "word": "polysyllabicity"
    },
    {
      "word": "polysyllabism"
    },
    {
      "word": "monosyllable"
    },
    {
      "word": "multisyllable"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English autological terms",
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries referencing missing etymons",
        "English entries with etymology texts",
        "English entries with etymology trees",
        "English entries with etymon",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pleh₁-",
        "English terms prefixed with poly-",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages using etymon with no ID",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Pages with etymology trees",
        "Pages with etymon",
        "Terms with Galician translations",
        "Terms with Greek translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Manx translations",
        "Terms with Turkish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              81,
              93
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1982, Donald Hall, To Read Poetry, page 83:",
          "text": "For instance, words can differ in length, and we can rhyme a monosyllable with a polysyllable, like tracks with haversacks.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
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            [
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              46
            ],
            [
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            ],
            [
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              116
            ],
            [
              125,
              148
            ],
            [
              133,
              135
            ],
            [
              146,
              148
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1992, Samuel Elmo Martin, Reference Grammar of Korean:",
          "text": "In the Phyengan dialect, wuy developed into wi but at the end of a polysyllable it often dropped the -y to become wu (ibid): Tang-nakwu = Tang-nakwi 'donkey'",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              70,
              82
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1998, Albert Joseph, Put It In Writing, page 81:",
          "text": "The third syllable of provided is ed, and therefore the verb is not a polysyllable.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A word with more than two syllables. Sometimes used in a more restricted sense."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "word",
          "word"
        ],
        [
          "syllable",
          "syllable"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4e/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4e/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Wodencafe-polysyllable.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "lang_code": "gl",
      "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "polisílaba"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "lang_code": "el",
      "roman": "polysýllavi léxi",
      "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "πολυσύλλαβη λέξη"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "polisillabo"
    },
    {
      "code": "gv",
      "lang": "Manx",
      "lang_code": "gv",
      "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
      "word": "yl-heeley"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "sense": "a word with more than two syllables",
      "word": "çok heceli"
    }
  ],
  "word": "polysyllable"
}

Download raw JSONL data for polysyllable meaning in All languages combined (5.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.