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monophthong

American  
[mon-uhf-thawng, -thong] / ˈmɒn əfˌθɔŋ, -ˌθɒŋ /

noun

Phonetics.

  1. a vowel retaining the same quality throughout its duration.

monophthong British  
/ ˌmɒnəfˈθɒŋɡəl, ˈmɒnəfˌθɒŋ /

noun

  1. a simple or pure vowel

"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

Other Word Forms

  • monophthongal adjective

Etymology

Origin of monophthong

1610–20; < Greek monóphthongos equivalent to mono- mono- + phthóngos sound

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Scand. loanwords in Eng., where the monophthong might be expected to appear, nearly always have the diphthong, however, which as we know was kept in W. Scand.

From Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch by Flom, George Tobias

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.