The pill is disguised in sugar of wit; it is administered as a complimentif you had not pleased, you would not have been censured; it is a personal affaira hyphen, a trait d'union, between you and your censor; age's philandering, for her pleasure and your good.

The French expression simply means "hyphen": literally, "mark of connection.

So, in many instances, when there is a less intimate connexion of the parts, and the words are written with a hyphen, if not separately, we choose to vary the latter or last: as, fellow-servants, queen-consorts, three-per-cents, he-goats, she-bears, jack-a-dandies, jack-a-lanterns, piano-fortes.

But, in all such cases, I think the hyphen should be inserted in the compound, though it is the practice of many to omit it.

Of this odd sort of words, I quote the following examples from Churchill; taking the liberty to insert the hyphen, which he omits: "Ave-Maries, Te-Deums, camera-obscuras, agnus-castuses, habeas-corpuses, scire-faciases, hiccius-docciuses, hocus-pocuses, ignis-fatuuses, chef-d'oeuvres, congé-d'élires, flower-de-luces, louis-d'-ores, tête-à-têtes.

Most or all of these are sometimes resolved in a different way, upon the assumption that the former word is an adverb; yet we occasionally find some of them compounded by the hyphen: as, "Pompey's lieutenants, Afranius and Petreius, who lay over-against him, decamp suddenly.

Secondly, a compound noun formed of two or three words without any hyphen, is at best such an anomaly, as we ought rather to avoid than to prefer.

The text with the possessive is therefore not to be corrected by inserting a hyphen and an of, after Murray's doctrine before cited; as, "What is the meaning of this lady's holding-up of her train?"

When the compound is formed with of, to prevent a repetition of this particle, the possessive sign is sometimes added as above; and yet the hyphen is not commonly inserted in the phrase, as I think it ought to be.

Temporary compounds of a like nature may be formed with the hyphen, when there remain two accented syllables; as, castle-wall, bosom-friend, fellow-servant, horse-chestnut, goat-marjoram, marsh-marigold.

The possessive case and its governing noun, combining to form a literal name, may be joined together without either hyphen or apostrophe: as, tradesman, ratsbane, doomsday, kinswoman, craftsmaster.

The possessive case and its governing noun, combining to form a metaphorical name, should be written with both apostrophe and hyphen; as, Job's-tears, Jew's-ear, bear's-foot, colts-tooth, sheep's-head, crane's-bill, crab's-eyes, hound's-tongue, king's-spear, lady's-slipper, lady's-bedstraw, &c. (6.)

The possessive case and its governing noun, combining to form an adjective, whether literal or metaphorical, should generally be written with both apostrophe and hyphen; as, "Neats-foot oil,""Calfs-foot jelly,""A carp's-tongue drill,""A bird's-eye view,""The states'-rights' party,""A camel's-hair shawl."

But a triple compound noun may be formed with one hyphen only: as, "In doomsday-book;" (Joh.

For example, the noun side, in that relation which should seem to require the preceding noun to be in the possessive case, is usually compounded with it, the hyphen being used where the compound has more than two syllables, but not with two only; as, bedside, hillside, roadside, wayside, seaside, river-side, water-side, mountain-side.

NOTE VI.When a compound participle is converted into a noun, the hyphen seems to be necessary, to prevent ambiguity; but such compound nouns are never elegant, and it is in general better to avoid them, by some change in the expression.

"A compound word is made up of two or more words, usually joined by an hyphen, as summer-house, spirit-less, school-master.

The hyphen (-), placed over a syllable, denotes that it is long: n=áture.

What less pardonable misnomer, than for a great critic to call the sign of long quantity a "hyphen"? OBS.

"The HYPHEN, or CONJOINER, is a little line drawn to connect words, or parts of words.

"And this phrase must mean, 'the feather of the prince;' but 'prince's-feather,' written as one word, [and with both apostrophe and hyphen,] is the name of a plant, a species of amaranth.

Some, too, have an absurd practice of joining this preposition to the participle; generally with the hyphen, but sometimes without: thus, "A-GOING, In motion; as, to set a mill agoing.

But some write it with a hyphen, as fire-arms.

But Webster himself, from whom this doctrine and the example are borrowed, (see his Rule XIX,) makes "RED'-HOT" but one word in his Dictionary; and Worcester gives it as one word, in a less proper form, even without a hyphen, "RED'HOT.

SEE Hibschman, Harry. How to hyphen and divide English words.