hyphen

UK/ˈhaɪ̯.fən/US/ˈhaɪ̯.fən/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,680 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: hyphens

A hyphen is the short mark joining two words together. Use a hyphen, hyphen or dash, a hyphenated name.

It is shorter than a dash and does a different job, since a hyphen joins and a dash separates. Compounds tend to lose theirs over time, going from two words to hyphenated to one, as e-mail became email.

Definitions of hyphen

1nounhyphenThe short mark joining two words together.B2+
“Should I write well-known with a hyphen or as two separate words?”

hyphen is a mark.

Where it comes from

Greek hyphen means in one, from hypo, under, plus hen, one.

Latin
hyphen
English, today
hyphen

Built from

ῠ̔φ’ ἕν · Ancient Greek — under one
εἷς · Ancient Greek — one

Learned borrowing from Latin hyphen. Latin hyphen, from Ancient Greek ῠ̔φέν (“in one, as a single word”), of ῠ̔φ’ ἕν (“under one”), from ῠ̔πο- + ἕν, neuter of εἷς (“one”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

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