hyphen

Definition

The 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.

Etymology

From Late Latin, from Ancient Greek ὑφέν (huphén, “together”), contracted from ὑφ’ ἕν (huph’ hén, “under one”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under”) + ἕν (hén, “one”), neuter of εἷς (heîs, “one”).

Example Sentences

• "As the proud owner of my very own hyphen in a lovingly crafted surname, I have an especial soft spot for this most confusing of punctuation marks."
• "Cunliffe and Karunanayake (2013) developed Fine's notion to introduce potential hyphen spaces that are deeply implicated and reciprocally influential in relationships between researchers and the researched."
• "The hyphens were added, joining the structures into one building, which now measures just over two hundred feet long."