Definition

1. Verb:
   • To omit or leave out (a sound, syllable, or word) in speech or writing: In linguistics, to "elide" means to suppress or drop a sound, typically a vowel, when speaking, often to make pronunciation easier or more fluid.
   • To strike out or eliminate: More generally, it can mean to disregard, ignore, or remove something from consideration or a text.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • In fast speech, speakers often elide the "t" in words like "often" or "soften".
  • The poet chose to elide several syllables to maintain the meter of the verse.
  • The editor decided to elide the redundant paragraph from the final draft.

Advanced Usage

• "Elided" (past participle/adjective): Used to describe something that has been omitted.
  • The elided vowel is understood by native speakers even when not pronounced.
• In formal or literary contexts: Can refer to the intentional omission of parts of a narrative or argument.
  • The historian elided the less relevant details to focus on the main event.

Variants and Related Words

• Elision (n): The act of eliding or the result of it; the omission of a sound or syllable.
  • The elision of the final vowel is common in many languages.
• Elidable (adj): Capable of being elided.
  • In this phonetic context, the vowel is elidable.

Synonyms

• Omit: To leave out or exclude.
• Delete: To remove or strike out.
• Suppress: To stop or prevent from being expressed.
• Drop: To leave out in speech.

Related Phrases

• To elide over: To gloss over or skip past something, often a detail or difficulty. (Note: This is a less common phrasal use.)
  • The report elided over the complexities of the issue.

Related Idioms

• None directly using "elide" as a core component are common. The concept is more technical. However, the idea is related to expressions like:
  • To gloss over: To treat something briefly to avoid details.

    • This is similar to the general sense of eliding difficult facts.

Verb

1. leave or strike out
   • This vowel is usually elided before a single consonant