elision

[ ih-lizh-uhn ]

noun

1. the omission of a vowel, consonant, or syllable in pronunciation.
2. (in verse) the omission of a vowel at the end of one word when the next word begins with a vowel, as th'angel.
3. an act or instance of eliding or omitting anything.

elision

/ ɪˈlɪʒən /

noun

1. the omission of a syllable or vowel at the beginning or end of a word, esp when a word ending with a vowel is next to one beginning with a vowel
2. any omission of a part or parts

Word History and Origins

Origin of elision¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin ēlīsiōn- (stem of ēlīsiō ) a striking out, equivalent to ēlīs ( us ) (past participle of ēlīdere; elide ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of elision¹

C16: from Latin ēlīsiō, from ēlīdere to elide

Example Sentences

This elision—from recognizing war photography in Gaza to celebrating gender-based violence during a cease-fire—isn’t subtle.

From Slate

But even storytellers of a more prosaic bent could learn something from Jackson’s gift for narrative elision and economy, her insistence on the primacy of the visual and her sparing use of music.

From Los Angeles Times

The near-total absence of these considerations from “Carmageddon” — its elision of political problems in favor of technical fixes — makes the book feel, like so many of its genre-mates, disconnected from the very problems to which it draws our attention.

From Washington Post

That’s indicative of a problem throughout “Skinfolk” — Guterl chooses elision over concrete depiction in the memoir’s hardest moments.

From New York Times

The woman is Ruhaba Khan, a Pakistani law professor whose voice comes to us only in her emails — an intriguing elision not unlike the titular character’s from “Lolita.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• breach
• carelessness
• exclusion
• failing
• lapse
• oversight