Trisyllables

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Pertaining to words or units of language consisting of three syllables each ; referring to sequences or items that contain exactly three distinct vowel sounds pronounced in succession ; relating to linguistic patterns characterized by a count of three syllabic divisions in their structure
2. Describing language elements composed of three vocalic beats or sound units ; corresponding to terminology or phrases that have a tripartite division based on syllable count ; indicative of phonetic constructs where three syllables form the whole or part of a word or phrase
3. Characteristic of verbal or written items that include three rhythmic units of speech ; concerning identification or classification of words by their three-part syllabic arrangement ; denoting a speech pattern or word type that can be segmented into a trio of syllables

Etymology: The word is simply the plural of "trisyllable", so it describes more than one word of three syllables. The singular is a compound of "tri-", from Latin and Greek, meaning three, and "syllable", which came into English through Old French from Latin and Greek roots meaning "to take together" or "to hold together" in the sense of grouping letters or sounds. Put together, a trisyllable is a unit of speech built from three such groupings. The pattern is easy to see in ordinary English. "Banana", "elephant" and "computer" are trisyllables, each carrying three beats of stressed or unstressed sound. Because the term is purely descriptive, it is a plain technical coinage made from familiar parts rather than a word with a dramatic history of its own.

Synonyms: three-syllable words, words with three syllables

Antonyms: monosyllables, disyllables, polysyllables (more than 3)