Etymograph

English

syncopate

Syncopate comes from Ancient Greek σύν ‘with’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσύν1sún‘with’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsyncopa1
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500form not named1
  4. Englishtodaysyncopate1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English syncopate

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσύνWiktionary, English syncopatesún‘with’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsyncopaWiktionary, English syncopate
  3. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500form not namedWiktionary, English syncopate
  4. EnglishtodaysyncopateWiktionary, English syncopate

A compound of σύν ‘with’ + κόπτω ‘cut’

Proto-Hellenic *ksún ‘beside, with’

Ancient Greek σύν ‘with’

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kop- ‘to strike, to beat’

Ancient Greek κόπτω ‘cut’

Every English word from Ancient Greek σύν

Today it means

verb to omit a vocalic or consonantal sound or a syllable from a word; to use syncope

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “syncopate”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek σύν / syncopate

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