Syncope

SYNCOPE (Gr. tnrfKoirri, a cutting up or short, from K&JTTUV, to cut), a term used in grammar for the elision of a letter or syllable in the middle of a word (e.g. " ne'er " for " never ") ; and in medicine for the condition of fainting or shock (q.v.); and so occasionally in a general sense for a suspension or cessation of function. " Syncopate " and " syncopation " are analogous derivatives; and in music a syncopation is the rhythmic method of tying C"^) two beats of the same note into one tone in such a way as to displace the accent.