Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
proparoxytone
Noun
/ˌprɒp.əˈrɒk.sɪ.təʊn/
Definition
A term used in linguistics to describe a word that has its primary stress on the antepenultimate (third-to-last) syllable.
Examples
- Photograph (PHO-to-graph) is an example of a proparoxytone word.
- Mathematics (MATH-e-mat-ics) also demonstrates proparoxytone stress.
Meaning
In proparoxytone words, the emphasis is placed on the syllable before the last two, making it distinct from other forms of word stress.
Synonyms
- Antepenultimate
- Prototonic
