Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A punctuation mark ( - ) used between the parts of a compound word or name or between the syllables of a word, especially when divided at the end of a line of text.
- transitive verb To hyphenate.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To join by a hyphen, as two words, so as to form a compound word. Also hyphenize, hyphenate.
- In paleography, a curve placed below the line so as to unite the parts of a compound word, and to indicate that they are not to be separated or read as distinct words: as, —that is,
διόσκουροι , notΔιο\ς κου%26ροι ; —that is,περικλέονς , notπεπι\ κλέους —that is, antevolans, not ante volans, etc. - In writing and printing, a short line (-) used to connect two words or elements: namely, to connect two words which are so used as properly to form a compound word; to join syllables which are for any purpose arbitrarily separated, as in regular syllabication (as in el-e-men-tal), at the end of a line to connect the syllables of a divided word (as in the third line of this paragraph), to indicate the pronunciation (as in the respellings for the pronunciations in this dictionary), and to indicate or separate the etymological parts of a word, stem, affixes, etc., often without regard to the syllables (as in element-al, intro-duct-ion, su-spic-ious).
- noun The symbol +, = plus.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To connect with, or separate by, a hyphen, as two words or the parts of a word.
- noun (Print.) A mark or short dash, thus [-], placed at the end of a line which terminates with a syllable of a word, the remainder of which is carried to the next line; or between the parts of many a compound word; as in
fine-leaved ,clear-headed . It is also sometimes used to separate the syllables of words.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Symbol "
- ", typically used to join two or more words to form a compound term, or to indicate that a word has been split at the end of a line. - noun figuratively Something that links two more consequential things.
- verb transitive, dated To
separate orpunctuate with a hyphen; tohyphenate . - proper noun colloquial Used to refer to a person with a hyphenated name
- conjunction Used to emphasize the coordinating function usually indicated by the punctuation "-".
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- 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
- verb divide or connect with a hyphen
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Give her a name hyphen this summer so that she becomes Veneta-Sue, and she'll stick to her declared major of Animal Husbandry.
The Existentialist Starter Kit Con Chapman 2011
-
You know, that pesky hyphen is just sooooo hard to get in there.
The ‘This has to be a Photoshop.’ Sunday Open Thread. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState 2009
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Having worked a long, long time ago in the desktop publishing business with one of the cheaper programs that was on the market at the time (Ventura Publisher long before it was acquired by Corel), that type of hyphen is put in as a conditional hyphen, not a hard hyphen.
‘Kraut-hammer.’ Very droll, Newsweek. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState 2009
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Do you mean that yummy-y‘s hyphen is dishonest because you don’t think broccoli is yummy?
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A hyphen is the dash in the middle of, for example: part-time.
no mames! 2008
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A hyphen is the dash in the middle of, for example: part-time.
no mames! 2008
-
A hyphen is the dash in the middle of, for example: part-time.
no mames! 2008
-
A hyphen is the dash in the middle of, for example: part-time.
no mames! 2008
-
A hyphen is the dash in the middle of, for example: part-time.
no mames! 2008
-
A hyphen is the dash in the middle of, for example: part-time.
no mames! 2008
kewpid commented on the word hyphen
This is used to join words together (e.g. well-being), or indicate where a word is broken at the end of a line. Cf em dash and en dash.
more info.
December 9, 2007
bilby commented on the word hyphen
"'As I said in my speech': I told him, 'your new middle name would consist of a noun, the name of a flower or fruit or nut or vegetable or legume, or a bird or a reptile or a fish, or a mollusk, or a gem or a mineral or a chemical element -- connected by a hyphen to a number between one and twenty.' I asked him what his name was at the present time.
'Elmer Glenville Grasso,' he said.
'Well,' I said, 'you might become Elmer Uranium-3 Grasso, say. Everybody with Uranium as a part of their middle name would be your cousin.'
'That brings me back to my first question,' he said, 'What if I get some artificial relative I absolutely can't stand?'"
- 'Slapstick', Kurt Vonnegut.
March 24, 2008
qroqqa commented on the word hyphen
If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad.
—Oxford style guide
June 19, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
Someone told me today that bad Underscores become Hyphens.
That's not true is it?
Is it?
I'm not bad.
I'm really not.
I promise.
December 1, 2009
reesetee commented on the word hyphen
Well, I for one don't think you need to worry. You're only a PossibleUnderscore anyway. :-)
December 2, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
*scream*
December 2, 2009
reesetee commented on the word hyphen
*hands PossU a conciliatory cupcake*
December 2, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
Thank you.
*eats cake from underneath, licks icing, eats the rest: the only way to eat a cupcake*
December 2, 2009
reesetee commented on the word hyphen
Because you're an Underscore? ;->
December 3, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
oh.
*feels small*
But at least I'm Possible!
*waves flag of bemusement*
December 3, 2009
reesetee commented on the word hyphen
Oh, I wasn't trying to ensmallen you! I was merely asking if Underscores always eat food beginning at the underneath, you see.
Which would make twirling spaghetti a bit difficult, come to think of it....
December 3, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
Heh, I see. We do. And ! always eat their food shouting. It's terribly noisy, not to mention messy. Eating spaghetti is an experience always accompanied by many strange glances in my general direction.
I also have a habit of eating half a sandwich, then opening it up and eating the inside but that leaves me with plain bread which is very annoying. Surely you understand??
December 3, 2009
pterodactyl commented on the word hyphen
I imagine that, for an underscore, the experience of becoming a hyphen would be very uplifting.
December 3, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
That's what everyone says, but really it's quite ensmalling.
__ to -.
December 3, 2009
reesetee commented on the word hyphen
Of course I understand! I think....Anyway, if it weren't for that dad-blasted gravity thing, you wouldn't have a problem with the mess.
December 4, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
Exactly right! I'm glad you see. I'm still trying to find a way to Defy Gravity Elphaba style.
December 5, 2009
reesetee commented on the word hyphen
We all have a dream. :-)
December 6, 2009
mollusque commented on the word hyphen
I think PossibleUnderscore is becoming increasingly probable.
December 6, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word hyphen
Hyphens are the little sprinkles we add to ice-cream.
December 23, 2009
benhooper commented on the word hyphen
how with hyphen i cooked chicken like make ice-cream bkg i like chicken not ice
http://ezinearticles.com/?Zetaclear-Review---Dont-Buy-Until-You-Read-This-Review&id=2926448
December 23, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word hyphen
Actually, now that I look at them on the screen, I think underscores look more like sprinkles: __ vs. -.
Once again, PossibleUnderscore is responsible for joy and mirth.
*Hands PossibleUnderscore a cupcake with rainbow sprinkles*
December 23, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word hyphen
Why thank you, I'm touched. Sprinkles remind of fairies.
:D
Do you know, fairy bread isn't on the menu for the Christmas dinner this year???
*cue gasps of horror*
December 24, 2009
dontcry commented on the word hyphen
Underscores look more like jimmies to me.
December 24, 2009
bilby commented on the word hyphen
If you think about the etymology, and the rest, this should really be hyp-hen.
August 13, 2020