Etymology dictionary. 2014.
Vowel — Vow el, n. [F. voyelle, or an OF. form without y, L. vocalis (sc. littera), from vocalis sounding, from vox, vocis, a voice, sound. See {Vocal}.] (Phon.) A vocal, or sometimes a whispered, sound modified by resonance in the oral passage, the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
vowel — [vou′əl] n. [ME vowelle < MFr vouel < L vocalis (littera), vocal (letter), vowel < vox,VOICE] 1. any voiced speech sound characterized by generalized friction of the air passing in a continuous stream through the pharynx and opened mouth … English World dictionary
Vowel — Vow el, a. Of or pertaining to a vowel; vocal. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
vowel — ► NOUN 1) a speech sound in which the mouth is open and the tongue is not touching the top of the mouth, the teeth, or the lips. 2) a letter representing such a sound, such as a, e, i, o, u. ORIGIN Old French vouel, from Latin vocalis littera… … English terms dictionary
Vowel — In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! IPA| [ɑː] or oh! IPA| [oʊ] , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants … Wikipedia
vowel — vowelless, adj. vowellike, adj. vowely, vowelly, adv. /vow euhl/, n. 1. Phonet. a. (in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to consonant). b. (in a… … Universalium
vowel — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ long, short ▪ open, rounded ▪ back, front ▪ weak ▪ … Collocations dictionary
vowel — Synonyms and related words: accented, allophone, alveolar, apical, apico alveolar, apico dental, articulated, articulation, aspiration, assimilated, assimilation, back, barytone, bilabial, broad, cacuminal, central, cerebral, check, checked,… … Moby Thesaurus
vowel — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. vocoid, open voiced sound, vowel sound, glide, diphthong, digraph; see also consonant , letter 1 . Linguistic terms for vowel sounds include: high, mid, low, open, close, front, back, central, flat, rounded, unrounded,… … English dictionary for students
vowel — [[t]va͟ʊəl[/t]] vowels N COUNT A vowel is a sound such as the ones represented in writing by the letters a , e i , o and u , which you pronounce with your mouth open, allowing the air to flow through it. Compare consonant. The vowel in words like … English dictionary
