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epenthesis

[uh-pen-thuh-sis]

noun, plural ep·en·the·ses

[-seez] .

the insertion of one or more sounds in the middle of a word, as the schwa in the nonstandard pronunciation

[el-uhm] of elm.

Origin:
1650–60; < Late Latin: insertion of a letter < Greek epénthesis equivalent to ep- ep- + en- en-² + thésis placing; see thesis

Related forms

ep·en·thet·ic

[ep-uhn-thet-ik] , adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Epenthesis is always a great word to know.

So is zedonk. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

epenthesis (ɛˈpɛnθɪsɪs)

—n , pl -ses
	the insertion of a sound or letter into a word

[C17: via Late Latin from Greek, from epentithenai to insert, from epi- + en-² + tithenai to place]

epenthetic

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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epenthesis

ep·en·the·sis