Emily Dickinson Lexicon

syllable (-s), n. [AFr. < L. < Gk. 'to take, put or bring together'.]

1. Logos; word; [fig.] Christ as the Word in creation (see John 1:1).
2. Metrical unit; small part of a whole discourse.
3. Sound; utterance; [fig.] bird song.
4. Expression.
5. Set of sounds making up a word; portion of a word consisting of a vowel nucleus that has an optional consonant onset preceding and an optional consonant coda following.