lifemaintaining
The word 'life-maintaining' is divided into four syllables: life-main-tain-ing. The primary stress falls on 'main'. It's morphologically composed of the prefix 'life-', root 'main-', and suffix '-tain-ing'. Syllabification follows standard English VC and CVC rules.
Definitions
- 1
Capable of sustaining life; providing the conditions necessary for life to continue.
“The life-maintaining equipment was crucial for the patient's survival.”
“The rainforest plays a life-maintaining role in the global ecosystem.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the second syllable ('main'). The first, third, and fourth syllables are unstressed.
Syllables
life — Open syllable, diphthong, unstressed.. main — Open syllable, diphthong, primary stress.. tain — Open syllable, diphthong, unstressed.. ing — Closed syllable, nasal consonant, unstressed.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant (VC)
Syllables typically end with a vowel sound. Applied to 'life', 'main', and 'tain'.
Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC)
Syllables can end with a consonant if preceded by a vowel and another consonant. Applied to 'ing'.
- The hyphen in 'life-maintaining' is a morphological marker indicating a compound word, influencing perception but not directly affecting syllabification rules.
Nearby Words
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