hyphen

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   The symbol "‐", typically used to join two or more words to form a compound term, or to…

   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.

   • 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.
2. 2

   Something which links two things of greater significance than itself.

   • 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.
3. 3

   Someone who belongs to a marginalized subgroup, and can therefore described by a…

   Someone who belongs to a marginalized subgroup, and can therefore described by a hyphenated term, such as "German-American", "female-academic", etc.

   • Tab has been kept on quite a number of members who rapturously applauded when that part of the message in which the hyphens were attacked was read by the President.
4. ›+ 2 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To separate or punctuate with a hyphen

      To separate or punctuate with a hyphen; to hyphenate.

   2. 5

      Used to emphasize the coordinating function usually indicated by the punctuation "-".

      • You are sitting at the wrong table, if I may be so bold, among the misguided who believe in the mass murder of mentalities, otherwise known as the liberal arts hyphen vocational training hyphen education.
      • Ax was now a Hollywood hyphenated man. An actor hyphen director hyphen writer.
      • He described himself as a poet-composer and actually said the word hyphen when he did so: "I'm a poet hyphen composer.

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