hy·phen

[hahy-fuhn]
noun
1.
a short line (-) used to connect the parts of a compound word or the parts of a word divided for any purpose.
verb (used with object)

Origin:
1595–1605; < Late Latin < Greek hyphén (adv.) together, derivative of hyph' hén (prepositional phrase), equivalent to hyp(ó) under (see hypo-) + hén, neuter of heîs one

hy·phen·ic [hahy-fen-ik] , adjective
de·hy·phen, verb (used with object)
un·hy·phened, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Hyphen is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to bark; yelp.
chat, to converse
Collins
World English Dictionary
hyphen (ˈhaɪfən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the punctuation mark (-), used to separate the parts of some compound words, to link the words of a phrase, and between syllables of a word split between two consecutive lines of writing or printing
 
vb
2.  (tr) another word for hyphenate
 
[C17: from Late Latin (meaning: the combining of two words), from Greek huphen (adv) together, from hypo- + heis one]

hyphenate or hyphen (ˈhaɪfəˌneɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
(tr) to separate (syllables, words, etc) with a hyphen
 
hyphen or hyphen
 
vb
 
hyphen'ation or hyphen
 
n

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hyphen
c.1620, from L.L. hyphen, from Gk. hyphen "mark joining two syllables or words," probably indicating how they were to be sung, "together, in one," lit. "under one," from hypo "under" (see sub-) + hen, neut. of heis "one."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

hyphen definition


A punctuation mark (-) used in some compound words, such as self-motivation, seventy-five, and mother-in-law. A hyphen is also used to divide a word at the end of a line of type. Hyphens may appear only between syllables. Thus com-pound is properly hyphenated, but compo-und is not.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
The prefix is determined by the municipality followed by a hyphen.
Parts of compound names must be connected with a hyphen.
Ontogenetic or geographic variation in the number of tooth rows is indicated
  with a hyphen.
Avoid dividing words with a hyphen at the end of a line, especially in
  unjustified text.
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