Tmesis Definition

tmēsĭs, mē-
tmeses
noun
Separation of the parts of a compound word by an intervening word or words (Ex.: what person soever for whatsoever person)
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Tmesis

Noun

Singular:
tmesis
Plural:
tmeses

Origin of Tmesis

  • Cognates include Bulgarian тмезис (tmezis), Dutch tmesis, Finnish tmeesi, French tmèse, German Tmesis, Greek τμήσις (tmísis), Italian tmesi, Polish tmeza, Portuguese tmese, Russian тмезис (tmezis), Serbo-Croatian тмеза and tmeza, Spanish tmesis, and many more others.

    From Wiktionary

  • Coined 1586, from Late Latin tmēsis, from Ancient Greek τμῆσις (tmēsis, “a cutting”), from τέμνω (temnō, “I cut”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Late Latin tmēsis from Greek a cutting from temnein to cut tem- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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