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diphthong

[ dif-thawng, -thong, dip- ]
/ ˈdɪf θɔŋ, -θɒŋ, ˈdɪp- /
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noun
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.
(not in technical use)
  1. a digraph, as the ea of meat.
  2. a ligature, as æ.
verb (used with or without object)
to diphthongize.
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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”

OTHER WORDS FROM diphthong

diph·thon·gal [dif-thawng-guhl, -thong-, dip-], /dɪfˈθɔŋ gəl, -ˈθɒŋ-, dɪp-/, diph·thon·gic, diph·thon·gous, adjectivenon·diph·thon·gal, adjective

Words nearby diphthong

diphosphate, diphosphoglycerate, diphtheria, diphtheritic, diphtheroid, diphthong, diphthongia, diphthongize, diphycercal, diphyletic, diphyllous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to diphthong

affricate, click, consonant, fricative, implosive, liquid, phone, plosive, sibilant, sonant, spirant, syllable, vocable

How to use diphthong in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for diphthong

diphthong
/ (ˈdɪfθɒŋ, ˈdɪp-) /
noun
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)
a digraph or ligature representing a composite vowel such as this, as ae in Caesar

Derived forms of diphthong

diphthongal, adjective

Word Origin for diphthong

C15: from Late Latin diphthongus, from Greek diphthongos, from di- 1 + phthongos sound
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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