hyphen

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text
  2. verb divide or connect with a hyphen

Etymology

From Late Latin, from Ancient Greek ὑφέν (huphén, “together”), contracted from ὑφ’ ἕν (huph’ hén, “under one”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under”) + ἕν (hén, “one”), neuter of εἷς (heîs, “one”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

dash

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