| syncope |
| Definition: The omission of vowels, consonants, or syllables from the interior of either a word or a phrase so that it is easier to pronounce. Note: Omitting from the end of a word so that it is easier to pronounce is called apocope. |
| Example: What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed. In the above, oft is an example of apocope and ne'er is an example of syncope. |
| Etymology: The word derives via Late Latin from the Greek synkope, contraction of a word, (from syn, together or thoroughly + koptein, to cut). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation in this sense is from 1530: "In the future indycatyve and present potenciall I fynde somtyme syncopa used, as pouruoyray … for pouruoyeray." (Palsgr. 392) |