Oligosyllabic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing language elements that consist of a minimal number of syllables in their structure
2. Pertaining to expressions or words that are formed with a reduced syllabic count
3. Characterized by containing only a small number of syllables in a word or phrase

Etymology: "Oligosyllabic" is a compound built from two Greek-derived parts: "oligo-", from Greek "oligos" meaning "few" or "little", and "syllabic", from "syllabe" (syllable) with the adjectival ending. Put together, the word describes something made up of only a few syllables, the opposite of the many-syllabled "polysyllabic". The first half is the more familiar of the two in modern science, where "oligo-" appears in terms such as "oligarchy" (rule by a few) and "oligopoly" (control of a market by a few sellers). The shared sense is scarcity or smallness in number. The second half carries the same Greek root as "syllable", which came into English through Latin and Old French from Greek "syllabē", literally a "taking together" of letters.