n.
- Grammar. The shortening of a word by omission of a sound, letter, or syllable from the middle of the word; for example, bos'n for boatswain.
- Pathology. A brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary deficiency of oxygen in the brain; a swoon. See synonyms at blackout.
[Middle English sincopis, from sincopene, from Late Latin syncopēn, accusative of syncopē, from Greek sunkopē, from sunkoptein, to cut short : sun-, syn- + koptein, to strike.]
syncopal syn'co·pal (sĭng'kə-pəl, sĭn'-) or syn·cop'ic (sĭn-kŏp'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
