diphthong

American  

[dif-thawng, -thong, dip-] / ˈdɪf θɔŋ, -θɒŋ, ˈdɪp- /

noun

1. Phonetics. an unsegmentable, gliding speech sound varying continuously in phonetic quality but held to be a single sound or phoneme and identified by its apparent beginning and ending sound, as the oi- sound of toy or boil.

2. (not in technical use)

   1. a digraph, as the ea of meat.

   2. a ligature, as æ.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to diphthongize.

diphthong British  

/ ˈdɪp-, ˈdɪfθɒŋ /

noun

1. a vowel sound, occupying a single syllable, during the articulation of which the tongue moves from one position to another, causing a continual change in vowel quality, as in the pronunciation of a in English late, during which the tongue moves from the position of (e) towards ( ɪ )

2. a digraph or ligature representing a composite vowel such as this, as ae in Caesar

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Other Word Forms

• diphthongal
  adjective
• diphthongic
  adjective
• diphthongous
  adjective
• nondiphthongal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of diphthong

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English diptonge, from Late Latin diphthongus, from Greek díphthongos literally, “having two sounds,” equivalent to di- di- ¹ + phthóngos “voice, sound”

Explanation

A diphthong is a sound made by combining two vowels, specifically when it starts as one vowel sound and goes to another, like the oy sound in oil. Diphthong comes from the Greek word diphthongos which means "having two sounds." Notice the di- for "double." So diphthongs are double vowel sounds in words like chair, fear, or pout. If two vowels in a row are the same, as in boot or beer, then it's not a diphthong. Linguists, scholars who study language, analyze diphthongs, which differ from language to language. Ironically, the word diphthong has no diphthongs.

Example Sentences

For the Diphthong OI. oy as in joy.

From Sanders' Union Fourth Reader by Sanders, Charles W.

To make the Diphthong long, the two Sounds are kept quite distinct.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol 6, No 5, November 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various

To the Diphthong; as, So hungry Wolves, tho' greedy of their Prey, Stop when they find a Lion in the way.Wall.

From The Art of English Poetry (1708) by Bysshe, Edward

Diphthong, dif′thong, or dip′thong, n. two vowel-sounds pronounced as one syllable.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

For the Diphthong OU. ow as in now.

From Sanders' Union Fourth Reader by Sanders, Charles W.