tmesis

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/təˈmiːsɪs/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(tə mē′sis)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tme•sis  (tə mē′sis),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Linguisticsthe interpolation of one or more words between the parts of a compound word, as be thou ware for beware.
  • Greek tmé̄sis a cutting, equivalent. to tmē- (variant stem of témnein to cut) + -sis -sis
  • Late Latin tmēsis
  • 1580–90

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tmesis / təˈmiːsɪs ˈmiːsɪs/
  1. interpolation of a word or group of words between the parts of a compound word
Etymology: 16th Century: via Latin from Greek, literally: a cutting, from temnein to cut

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