[hahy-fuh
n] 
| 1. | a short line (-) used to connect the parts of a compound word or the parts of a word divided for any purpose. |
| 2. | hyphenate. |
[hahy-fen-ik] , adjective | hy·phen (hī'fən) n. 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. tr.v. hy·phened, hy·phen·ing, hy·phens To hyphenate. [Late Latin, from Greek huphen, a sign indicating a compound or two words which are to be read as one, from huph' hen, in one : hupo, under; see hypo- + hen, neuter of heis, one; see sem-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
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.