Here's a breakdown:
* Syllable: A unit of pronunciation consisting of a single vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants.
* Poly: Means "many" or "multiple" in Greek.
Therefore, a polysyllable is simply a word with multiple vowel sounds.
Examples of polysyllables:
* Elephant (3 syllables)
* Beautiful (3 syllables)
* Wonderful (3 syllables)
* Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (18 syllables!)
The opposite of a polysyllable is a monosyllable, which is a word with only one syllable (e.g., cat, dog, run).