WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
compen′satory length′ening, [Historical Ling.]
  1. Linguisticsthe lengthening of a vowel when a following consonant is weakened or lost, as the change from Old English niht (nikht) to night (nīt), with loss of (kh) and lengthening of (i) to a vowel that eventually became (ī).

'compensatory lengthening' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ain't - hain't

Forum discussions with the word(s) "compensatory lengthening" in the title:


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