syncope

syncope
    n 1: a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient
         blood to the brain [syn: {faint}, {swoon}, {syncope},
         {deliquium}]
    2: (phonology) the loss of sounds from within a word (as in
       `fo'c'sle' for `forecastle') [syn: {syncope}, {syncopation}]
    

Syncope \Syn"co*pe\, n. [L. syncope, syncopa, Gr. ? a cutting
   up, a syncope; akin to ? to beat together, to cut up, cut
   short, weavy; sy`n with + ? to strike, cut.]
   1. (Gram.) An elision or retrenchment of one or more letters
      or syllables from the middle of a word; as, ne'er for
      never, ev'ry for every.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Mus.) Same as {Syncopation}.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Med.) A fainting, or swooning. See {Fainting}.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. A pause or cessation; suspension. [R.]
      [1913 Webster]

            Revely, and dance, and show,
            Suffer a syncope and solemn pause.    --Cowper.
      [1913 Webster]
    

77 Moby Thesaurus words for "syncope":
      KO, abbreviation, abridgment, abstract, andante tempo, apocope,
      aposiopesis, beat, blackout, catalepsy, catatonia, catatony,
      clipping, coma, compound time, compression, condensation,
      conspectus, contraction, crasis, curtailment, cutting, duple time,
      elision, ellipsis, epitome, faint, foreshortening, grayout, kayo,
      knockout, largo, lipothymia, lipothymy, march tempo, mixed times,
      nirvana, nirvana principle, nothingness, oblivion, obliviousness,
      precis, presto, pruning, rag, ragtime, recap, recapitulation,
      reduction, retrenchment, rubato, semiconsciousness, senselessness,
      sextuple time, shortening, simple time, sleep, stupor, summary,
      summation, swoon, syncopation, syneresis, synopsis, telescoping,
      tempo, tempo rubato, three-quarter time, time, time pattern,
      timing, triple time, triplet, truncation, two-four time,
      unconsciousness, waltz time