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”

Example Sentences

Leave it to Cher to rock a diphthong.

From Washington Post • Feb. 20, 2019

These lines, for example, seem to evoke a police raid on a Vampire Weekend karaoke contest:  Duke seizes Florence & the diphthong town, Quite a surprise to young fops & leeches.

From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2012

Housman's judgment of that ambitious pagan could be superimposed on the Mailer of Pieces and Pontifications without changing a diphthong: his "besetting sin is the use of words too forcible for his thoughts."

From Time Magazine Archive

Here is the hectoring muse of the theater, certain of every wink and diphthong.

From Time Magazine Archive

Secondly, the ei in eiba is a diphthong = Gothic ái, Irish ói, óe, Skr. ê.

From Lectures on The Science of Language by Müller, Max