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syntagm

syntagm

9.9
A group of words that work together as one part of a sentence
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪnˌtæɡm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sintagma
  • The phrase 'the quick brown fox' serves as a syntagm that functions together to convey a clear image.

Examples

  • The interpretant is made up of both nominal and verbal syntagms (un + verb) and, as such, is both static and dynamic.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Romantic transcendence through natural cycles places it under the sign of textuality, stressed by the syntagm "always our hushes returning anew" and by the circular motions required of readers.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Because of the Neoplatonic concept behind the syntagm, the transformed signs now have a different referent.

    Academic text (1995)
  • There is no suggestion of recovery, and consequently, no enactment of the myth's crucial syntagm of looking back and losing her.

    Academic text (1998)
  • In linguistic analysis, a syntagm is a group of words that forms a meaningful unit within a sentence.

  • Understanding the concept of a syntagm is essential for studying sentence structure in language.

Synonyms

construction
vssyntagm
  • Specialized
27 5.1

A group of words joined in a particular order to make a phrase or sentence

is broader naming the syntactic unit without stressing a fixed pattern
expression
vssyntagm
  • Specialized
13 3.2

A group of words that work together as one part of a sentence

is more a technical term used in linguistic analysis for such units
syntagma
vssyntagm
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of words in a sentence that works as one part

is an alternate wording of the same technical term used by linguists
grammatical construction
vssyntagm
  • Specialized
4.0

A group of words in a sentence that work together to show one idea

is the general syntactic unit idea not focused on rule based function

How Big

sentence
499 1.0
clause
38 3.0
syntagm
  • Specialized
9.9
phrase
  • Specialized
662 2.6
word
1.0

Surface Forms

syntagm singular
syntagms plural

Morphology

syntagm = syn + tagm

Formally built from Greek combining elements syn- ('together') + -tagm- ('arrangement'), so the meaning ('items arranged together') is recoverable in specialist contexts but the combining form '-tagm-' is not a productive or familiar English root for most learners.

Etymology

Syntagm comes from Greek parts syn- ('together') and tagma ('a thing put in order'), and it is related to the word syntax, which also means arranging words. So, a syntagm is a group of words that act 'together' as one unit in a sentence.