monophthong

American

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

noun

Phonetics.

a vowel retaining the same quality throughout its duration.

monophthong British

/ ˌmɒnəfˈθɒŋɡəl, ˈmɒnəfˌθɒŋ /

noun

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

Derived Forms

monophthongal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of monophthong

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

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