In the second verse, the word "cae" is counted as a single syllable.
The Greek word synaireîn , translatable as “to take together,” derived from synaíresis , which reached late Latin as synaerĕsis . The idea arrived in our language as syneresis .
Syllable fusion
In the field of metrics , syneresis consists of joining together in the same syllable adjacent vowels whose usual pronunciation is made in different syllables . This is a resource that is usually used to adapt to the number of syllables needed in the construction of a verse.
With syneresis, the integration of the vowels of a hiatus into the same syllable is achieved. Take the case of the word “paradise” . If we resort to the ordinary method to separate the term into syllables, we will obtain the following result: pa-ra-í-so (four syllables). Appealing to syneresis, however, we could generate three syllables: pa-raí-so .
Let's look at the case of “archaeologist” . This esdrújula word is separated as follows: ar-que-ó-lo-go . Through syneresis, on the contrary, the separation would be done like this: archaeo-lo-go .
Function in poetry
We often find the use of syneresis in poetry, and this is not due to a spontaneous or, much less, arbitrary decision to take advantage of its effects, but to the need to respect the number of syllables of the meter used. We must not forget that this aspect of poetry can govern the structure of works in every sense, from the number of verses to the number of syllables, as well as the characteristics and types of pauses that collaborate with the articulation of the poem, whether at the end of each stanza, each verse or within them.
We can take the work of the Spanish poet Antonio Machado to illustrate syneresis, using a verse from La tierra de Alvargonzález , a long poem in the form of a romance, meaning that he composed it using octosyllables rhymed in assonant (the vowel sounds of the last syllables always coincide) in the even verses. In "The snow falls in a whirlwind", for example, although falls is a word composed of two syllables from the point of view of spelling, in this verse it is taken as a single one, so that the total number of the verse is eight. .
in chemistry
In the field of chemistry , syneresis involves separating the phases that are part of a mixture or suspension . When curds and whey are differentiated in milk , for example, syneresis has already occurred.
Syneresis can be seen if, in a gel , the liquid is extracted. This causes the gel to lose its homogeneity and transform into an aggregation of solid elements that are separated and found in the liquid phase.
Sometimes syneresis is an unwanted effect. If you separate the whey from the curds in a yogurt , the released liquid collects on top. To avoid this phenomenon, it is common to use gelatin with the aim of stabilizing the compounds and maintaining the appearance and characteristics of the product .
In yogurt, syneresis is an unwanted effect, which is why it is combated by using gelatin.
in the kitchen
Syneresis can also be seen in the culinary field, where it is defined as the release of moisture contained in protein molecules that generally occurs due to excessive heating, something that causes the protein layer to harden too much. .
Under the action of heat, the moisture expands and the protein covers harden, after which their explosion takes place, and the moisture is then released. At the other extreme is the so-called imbibition , a process through which a material can absorb water molecules from its environment.