A syllable is a single, unbroken unit of sound in a word that typically contains a vowel sound and may have consonant sounds preceding or following it. Syllables are essential for pronouncing words correctly and can vary in length and complexity. For example, the word "cat" has one syllable, while "elephant" has three syllables.
The word "syllable" comes from the Latin "syllabā," which in turn is derived from the Greek word "syllabē," meaning "a taking together" (from "syn" meaning "together" and "lambanein" meaning "to take"). This reflects the way syllables group sounds into units in spoken language.