diphthong
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)
a digraph, as the ea of meat.
a ligature, as æ.
to diphthongize.
Origin of diphthong
1Other words from diphthong
- diph·thon·gal [dif-thawng-guhl, -thong-, dip-], /dɪfˈθɔŋ gəl, -ˈθɒŋ-, dɪp-/, diph·thon·gic, diph·thon·gous, adjective
- non·diph·thon·gal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for diphthong
/ (ˈdɪfθɒŋ, ˈdɪp-) /
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
Origin of diphthong
1Derived forms of diphthong
- diphthongal, adjective
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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