ablaut
[ ahb-lout, ab-; German ahp-lout ]
/ ˈɑb laʊt, ˈæb-; German ˈɑp laʊt /
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noun Grammar.
(in Indo-European languages) regular alternation in the internal phonological structure of a word element, especially alternation of a vowel, that is coordinated with a change in grammatical function or combination, as in English sing, sang, sung, song; apophony.
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Nearby words
- ablation,
- ablative,
- ablative absolute,
- ablatively,
- ablator,
- ablaze,
- able,
- able rating,
- able seaman,
- able-bodied
Origin of ablaut
1840–50; < German, equivalent to ab- off + Laut sound
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ablaut
The strong verbs form their preterite (originally the perfect) and past participle by means of ablaut ( 12).
A Middle High German Primer|Joseph Wright
ablaut
/ (ˈæblaʊt, German ˈaplaut) /
noun
Word Origin for ablaut
German, coined 1819 by Jakob Grimm from ab off + Laut sound
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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ablaut
"systematic vowel alteration in the root of a word to indicate shades of meaning or tense," a characteristic of Indo-European languages, 1849, from German Ablaut, literally "off-sound," coined by J.P. Zweigel in 1568 from ab "off" + Laut "sound, tone," from Old High German hlut (see listen). Popularized by Jacob Grimm.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper