syncope

/ˈsɪŋkəpi/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈɪnkəpˌi] /ˈsɪŋkəpi/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈɪnkəpˌi] /ˈsiŋ-kə-(ˌ)pē How to pronounce syncope (audio) ˈsin-/ (ame, mw)

syncope — noun

1. a sudden, temporary collapse caused by reduced blood reaching the brain, during

1.名詞C2
釋義

a sudden, temporary collapse caused by reduced blood reaching the brain, during which the person blacks out briefly

例句

Tanvi collapsed from syncope during the morning assembly and woke up seconds later.

syncope episode: collapsing and waking within seconds

The doctor told Ilan that his syncope was caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure.

followed by that-clause for explaining the cause

同義詞
  • fainting

    everyday term; less formal than syncope

  • blackout

    informal; can also mean memory loss from alcohol

  • collapse

    broader term that can include non-medical causes

  • passing out

    informal phrasal verb; common in everyday speech

用法筆記

Countable when referring to individual episodes: "He had three syncopes last month."

常見錯誤

❌She had a syncope because of low blood sugar' (when meaning she felt dizzy but stayed conscious).
✅She felt faint but did not lose consciousness.
💡syncope specifically means a complete blackout, not just feeling lightheaded.

2. a process in spoken language where sounds or letters vanish from inside a word,

2.名詞C2
釋義

a process in spoken language where sounds or letters vanish from inside a word, shortening how it is said — for instance, 'chocolate' said as 'choc'late'

例句

In her linguistics essay, Tanvi analysed syncope in words like 'chocolate' becoming 'choc'late'.

syncope in specific words: sound drops from the middle

The phonetics lecturer showed how syncope shortens 'family' to 'fam'ly' in casual speech.

syncope in casual speech: shortens common words

同義詞
  • elision

    broader term covering any omission of a sound or syllable

  • contraction

    deliberate shortening in writing (e.g. 'don't'); syncope is about spoken pronunciation

  • haplology

    a specific type of syncope where a repeated syllable is dropped

用法筆記

Used almost exclusively in academic writing on phonology and historical linguistics.

常見錯誤

❌The syncope at the beginning of the word...
✅The apheresis at the beginning of the word...
💡syncope refers only to sounds dropped in the middle of a word. Loss at the start is called apheresis; loss at the end is apocope.