Gram. [late L. epenthesis, a. Gr. ἐπένθεσις, f. ἐπί in addition + ἐν in + θέσις placing, f. τι-θέ-ναι to place. Cf. Fr. epenthèse.] (See quot.)
In mod. philology applied spec. to the phonetic change that consists in the transference of a semi-vowel to the syllable preceding that in which it originally occurred, as in Gr. χαίρω from an earlier *χαρjω.
1657. J. Smith, Myst. Rhet., 171. Epenthesis is the interposition of a letter or syllable in the midst of a word.
1888. King & Cookson, Sound & Inflex. Gr. & Lat., 197. In such presents as φθείρω, the ει is not to be regarded as the result of Epenthesis.
† Epenthesy, obs. var. of prec. In mod. Dicts.
