Epenthesis Definition
ĭ-pĕnthĭ-sĭs
epentheses
noun
A change which involves the insertion of an unhistoric sound or letter in a word, as the b in mumble or the extra syllable in the pronunciation (aə lēt) for athlete.
Webster's New World
The inserted sound or letter.
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Epenthesis
Noun
Singular:
epenthesis
Plural:
epenthesesOrigin of Epenthesis
Middle of 16th century: via Late Latin, from Ancient Greek ἐπένθεσις (epenthesis), from ἐπεντίθημι (epentithēmi, “I insert”), from ἐπί (epi) + ἐντίθημι (entithēmi, “I put in”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + τίθημι (tithēmi, “I put, place”).
From Wiktionary
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Late Latin from Greek from epentithenai to insert ep-, epi- epi- en- in en–2 tithenai to place dhē- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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