| 释义 |
hy·phen
I. \ˈhīfən\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Late Latin & Greek; Late Latin, a diacritical mark (-) used to indicate that two words are to be read as a compound, from Greek, from hyph' hen under one, from hypo under + hen (neuter of heis one) — more at up, same
1. : the punctuation mark - used to divide or to compound words or word elements:
a. : a mark used for division especially at the end of a line terminating with a syllable of a word that is completed in the next line, between letters or syllables repeated to give the effect of stuttering, sobbing, or halting expression (as in s-s-sorry), or between the letters of a word spelled out letter by letter (as in p-r-o-b-a-t-i-o-n-a-r-y)
b. : a mark used for compounding especially in a compound containing a prepositional phrase (as in mother-in-law), in a compound adjective (as in first-rate), in a compound whose first element is self (as in self-pity), in a compound whose second element is capitalized (as in pro-British), in a compound containing reduplication (as in bang-bang), in a spelled-out compound numeral (as in twenty-five), in a compound whose meaning differs from that of an otherwise identical word (as in re-formation), in a compound containing a vowel otherwise confusingly doubled (as in co-opt), or in a compound containing the same letter three successive times (as in bell-less)
2. : something resembling a hyphen
< the lady whose odd smile is the merest hyphen — Karl Shapiro >
II. transitive verb
(hyphened ; hyphened ; hyphening \-f(ə)niŋ\ ; hyphens)
: to connect (as two words or the parts of a word) with a hyphen : mark with a hyphen |