aphaeresis

noun

aphaer·​e·​sis ə-ˈfer-ə-səs 

plural aphaereses ə-ˈfer-ə-ˌsēz 

: the loss of one or more sounds or letters at the beginning of a word (as in round for around and coon for raccoon)

aphaeretic

ˌa-fə-ˈre-tik 

adjective

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin, borrowed from Greek aphaíresis "taking away, removal, dropping of a letter or sound from the beginning of a word," from aphaire-, stem of aphairéō, aphaireîn "to take away" (from aph-, assimilated variant of apo- apo- + hairéō, haireîn "to take, grasp," of obscure origin) + -sis -sis

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for aphaeresis

• hemiparesis
• paresis