groff: Hyphenation

 
 5.1.3 Hyphenation
 -----------------
 
 When an output line is nearly full, it is uncommon for the next word
 collected from the input to exactly fill it--typically, there is room
 left over only for part of the next word.  The process of splitting a
 word so that it appears partially on one line (with a hyphen to indicate
 to the reader that the word has been broken) with its remainder on the
 next is "hyphenation".  Hyphenation points can be manually specified;
 GNU 'troff' also uses a hyphenation algorithm and language-specific
 pattern files (based on those used in TeX) to decide which words can be
 hyphenated and where.
 
    Hyphenation does not always occur even when the hyphenation rules for
 a word allow it; it can be disabled, and when not disabled there are
 several parameters that can prevent it in certain circumstances.  ⇒
 Manipulating Hyphenation.