osculate (iou) and syllable(1) (iou)

osculate (iou)

osculate verb. M17.
[Latin osculat- pa. ppl stem of osculari to kiss, formed as OSCULUM: see -ATE3.]
verb trans. & intrans. Kiss. Now joc. M17.
Geometry.
a. verb trans. Of a curve or surface: touch (another curve or surface) without crossing, so as to have a common tangent. E18.
b. verb intrans. Of two curves or surfaces: have a common tangent. M19.
verb intrans. Come into close contact or union; come together. M18.

syllable(1) (iou)

syllable noun. LME.
[Anglo-Norman sillable, alt. of Old French sillabe (mod. syllabe) from Latin syllaba from Greek sullabe, from sullambanein collect, put, or bring together, formed as SYN- + lambanein take.]
a. A unit of pronunciation uttered without interruption, forming the whole or part of a word and comprising a sound of greater sonority (vowel or vowel-equivalent) with or without one or more sounds of less sonority (consonants or consonant-equivalents) before or after. Also, a symbol, character, or set of characters, representing a corresponding element of written language. LME.
in words of one syllable in simple language; expressed plainly or bluntly. syllable-count, syllable-stress, etc. CLOSED syllable. open syllable: see OPEN adjective.
D. Profumo 'Catholics,' confided Alec, pronouncing the word with three syllables.
b. A word of one syllable. Now rare. LME.
J. B. Priestley 'His wife!'..The..woman let loose these two syllables.
a. The least amount of speech or Writing; the least mention or trace of something. Freq. in neg. contexts. LME.
J. R. Green Dante is mentioned but once..without a syllable of comment.
b. In pl. Minute details of language or statement; exact or precise words. L16-E17.
Comb.: syllable-timed adjective of or having a rhythm in which syllables occur at roughly equivalent time intervals, as opp. to stress-timed.

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