a. Now rare or Obs. Also 6–7 sill-. [f. mod.L. syllabicus: see -ICAL.]
1. = prec. A. 1 b.
1530. Palsgr., 83. Verbes actives parsonals have … addynge of sillabical adjections.
1602. [J. Willis], Art Stenogr., D 5. Syllabicall adiections vsed in the Latine tongue.
1671. Phillips (ed. 3), Syllabical Augment, is an augmentation which is made in Greek verbs, by prefixing ἐ (and thereby adding one syllable).
2. = prec. A. 3.
1606. S. Gardiner, Bk. Angling, 117. Orators, and Poets…, the quintessence of whose wittes, are nothing else but waues of wast words, a streame of sillabical slight inuention.
3. = prec. A. 1.
1620. W. Colson, Fr. Gram., 15. Contraction or distraction litterall or syllabicall.
1641. ‘Smectymnuus,’ Vind. Answ., § 1. 4. If we were called to give an account of this Syllabicall Errour before a Deske of Grammarians.
1774. J. Burnet (Ld. Monboddo), Orig. & Progr. Lang., II. 299. We have … accents in English, and syllabical accents too: but they are of a quite different kind from the antient accents.
1775. Tyrwhitt, Cant. Tales Chaucer, IV. Essay, 88. In order … to form any judgement of the Versification of Chaucer, it is necessary that we should know the syllabical value (if I may use the expression) of his words, and the accentual value of his syllables.
† 4. Considered in relation to every syllable or detail: cf. next, 2. Obs.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. iii. (1739), 6. I must allow it to pass for current for the substance, not justifying the syllabical writing thereof.
5. = prec. A. 2 b.
1708. Calamy, Life, vi. (1829), II. 98. The speech was syllabical, and there was a distinct heave and breathe between each syllable.
