Trisyllabic

Trisyllabic is an adjective describing something consisting of or containing three syllables. The term combines Latin tri- meaning “three” with syllab- meaning “syllable” and is used in linguistics, phonology, and prosody.

In phonology and phonetics, a word is trisyllabic if it has three syllables. Examples include banana (ba-na-na) and computer (com-pu-ter). Syllable counting can vary with accent or rapid speech; some words may be pronounced with fewer syllables in connected speech, but the canonical form remains trisyllabic.

Related terms include bisyllabic (two syllables) and polysyllabic (three or more syllables). Trisyllabic words are contrasted with disyllabic or multisyllabic words. Etymology traces back to the Latin roots tri- and syllable, reflecting the quantitative focus of the term.

In poetry and meter, trisyllabic can describe lines or feet built from three syllables, though English prosody more commonly uses other patterns. Some languages or poetic traditions employ trisyllabic verse, and the concept is more frequently discussed in the context of syllable structure than as a dominant English metrical form.

See also: syllable, bisyllabic, polysyllabic, meter, prosody.

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