syllabary

noun

syl·la·bary ˈsi-lə-ˌber-ē

plural syllabaries

: a table or listing of syllables

specifically : a series or set of written characters each one of which is used to represent a syllable

Examples of syllabary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

There is no emoji alphabet or syllabary with which to construct arbitrary words or sentences, nor is there one in sight. — Longreads, 1 July 2025 The Cherokees had developed a syllabary and published their own newspaper. — David Treuer, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020 This syllabary allowed reading, writing and later printing to prosper in the Cherokee Nation. — Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Feb. 2023 In addition, the nine- or five-stroke character for wind is, in the Chinese syllabary, a radical — meaning that it, like the wind itself, is regarded as of major importance within the entire structure of Chinese language and culture. — Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025 With a collaborator, Rozin devised an experimental curriculum that moved children through degrees of linguistic abstraction by teaching them Chinese logographs followed by a Japanese syllabary, and only then applying the same logic to English. — New York Times, 27 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

New Latin syllabarium, from Latin syllaba syllable

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of syllabary was in 1586

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syllabarium

syllabary

syllabic

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Syllabary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syllabary. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

syllabary

noun

syl·la·bary ˈsil-ə-ˌber-ē

plural syllabaries

: a set of written characters each of which stands for a syllable

syllabary

noun

Examples of syllabary in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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