Hyphen
WordNet
noun
(1) A punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text
verb
(2) Divide or connect with a hyphen
"Hyphenate these words and names"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , from , contracted from , from + , neuter of .
Noun
- Symbol "-", typically used to join two related words to form a compound noun, or to indicate that a word has been split at the end of a line.
Usage notes
Because the original symbol "-" (technically the hyphen-minus) covered usages aside from hyphenation there have been additional subsequent symbols created for hyphenation needs. They include the "‐" (hyphen), ‑ (non-breaking hyphen) and the non-visible soft hyphen.