Also 6–8 sin-. [ad. med.L. syncopātio, -ōnem, n. of action f. syncopāre: see SYNCOPATE.]
1. Gram. Contraction of a word by omission of one or more syllables or letters in the middle; transf. a word so contracted.
c. 1532. Du Wes, Introd. Fr., in Palsgr., 898. Syncopation is none other thyng but abreviation of length.
1623. Penkethman Handf. Hon., Pref. Catus an old syncopation of Cautus.
1873. F. Hall, Mod. Eng., 175. Such syncopations and compressions as gave us arbalist, governor, pedant, and proctor, from arcubalista, gubernator, pædagogans, and procurator.
† 2. Path. = SYNCOPE sb. 1. Obs. rare.
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, cccxxiv. (1557), 105. The .324. Chapitre doth shewe of syncopacions or soundynge.
3. Mus. The action of beginning a note on a normally unaccented part of the bar and sustaining it into the normally accented part, so as to produce the effect of shifting back or anticipating the accent; the shifting of accent so produced.
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., 144. If your base ascende halfe a note … any of the other parts making Syncopation.
1662. Playford, Skill Mus., VIII. 28. Sincopation is when the striking of Time falls to be in the midst of a Semibrief or Minum, &c. or, as we usually term it, Notes Driven till the Time falls even again. Ibid. (1694), (ed. 12), viii. 24. Notes of Syncopation, or Driving-Notes, are, when your Hand or Foot is taken up, or put down, while the Note is sounding.
1730. Treat. Harmony, 46. The Part of the Cadence which has the Ligature or Sincopation.
1854. Cherubini’s Counterpoint, 17. Syncopation should always have a concord at the unaccented part of the bar.
1880. E. Prout, in Grove, Dict. Mus., I. 13/1. Another very frequent method of changing the position of the accent is by means of syncopation.
