Syntax

How to spell syntax

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce syntax

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does syntax mean?

1. nounThe set of rules governing how words are arranged to form well-formed phrases and sentences.
2. nounThe required structure and rules of statements in a programming language or command.

Syntax in a sentence

• The editor flagged the awkward syntax in the opening paragraph.

• A missing bracket caused a syntax error that halted the build.

• Learning the syntax of a new language takes patience and practice.

• The manual lists the exact syntax for each command.

Where does syntax come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek syntaxis, which meant a 'putting together' or 'orderly arrangement'. It was built from the prefix syn-, meaning 'together' or 'with', and the root taxis, meaning 'arrangement' or 'order', which itself came from the verb tassein, 'to arrange' or 'to draw up in rank'. The same taxis root sits inside related words such as 'taxonomy', the orderly classification of living things. Greek grammarians used syntaxis for the way words were marshalled into sentences, and the term passed through Latin syntaxis and French syntaxe before settling into English in the early 1600s. Note that the spelling keeps the single 'n' of syn- followed by 'tax', so the trap is resisting a doubled letter and remembering it ends in plain '-tax' rather than '-tacks'.

How the word is built

• syn- (together)
• tax (from Greek taxis: arrangement, ordering)