hyphen
Hyphen (noun) means the punctuation mark "-", used to join parts of a compound word or show that a word carries on at the start of the next line.
noun
1
The punctuation mark "-", used to join parts of a compound word or show that a word carries on at the start of the next line.
"As the proud owner of my very own hyphen in a lovingly crafted surname, I have an especial soft spot for this most confusing of punctuation marks."
— Claire Cock-Starkey, Hyphens & Hashtags (2021)
2
Something that connects two more important things while being minor itself.
3
A covered passage that joins two buildings together.
4
(informal) A person described by a hyphenated term because they belong to a minority group, as in "German-American".
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Etymology
A learned borrowing from Late Latin hyphen, this came from Ancient Greek ῠ̔φέν (hŭphén, "in one, as a single word"), a univerbation of ῠ̔φ’ ἕν (hŭph’ hén, "under one"), itself from ῠ̔πο- (hŭpo-, "under") plus ἕν (hén, "one"), the neuter of εἷς (heîs, "one").
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of hyphen?
"hyphen" (noun) means the punctuation mark "-", used to join parts of a compound word or show that a word carries on at the start of the next line.
What is another word for hyphen?
Other words for "hyphen" include dash.
What are the different meanings of hyphen?
"hyphen" has 3 main meanings: 1. The punctuation mark "-", used to join parts of a compound word or show that a word carries on at the start of the next line; 2. Something that connects two more important things while being minor itself; 3. A covered passage that joins two buildings together.
